Node.js classic buildpack now limits version resolution to Active LTS when a wide version range is used
Change effective on 10 December 2025
The Node.js classic buildpack, use by Cedar-generation apps, will now limit version resolution of Node.js to the Active LTS when a wide version range is used to specify a Node.js version for an app.
A wide version range is one that spans multiple major versions with no upper limit. E.g.; a value of >=22 in the engines.node field of package.json would currently resolve to Node.js 25.2.1. We recommend that apps specify a single major range like 22.x or 24.x to prevent unintentional installs of newer Node.js release lines as they become available.
Apps configured with a wide version range for Node.js will see two messages during the “Resolving node version” phase of the build:
- a warning about the risks of using a wide version range when specifying a Node.js version
- a warning that Node.js resolution is limited to the Active LTS version and how to opt-out of this behaviour if the use of a wide version range is desired
Setting the config var NODEJS_ALLOW_WIDE_RANGE=true will disable the Active LTS limit from being applied during Node.js version resolution.