ArcGIS Pro and .NET Life Cycle Overlap and Release Cadence

Answer

On November 12, 2024, Microsoft will end support for .NET 6. See the .NET Support Policy.

ArcGIS Pro versions 3.0 through 3.2 require .NET 6 to run, and this requirement will not change. See the system requirements.  Esri is committed to supporting these versions of ArcGIS Pro through the end of their life cycle. See the ArcGIS Pro Life Cycle.

Background

As discussed in the February 2024 blog about ArcGIS Pro moving to .NET 8, .NET Framework and .NET Core merged into a unified .NET in November 2020. The first unified version was .NET 5 and it brought together divergent frameworks to reduce code complexity and advance cross-platform reach. From the .NET Support Policy, we see that major .NET versions are released in November, with even version numbers designated as Long Term Support (LTS) releases. So, the first LTS release was .NET 6. Long Term Support .NET releases are supported for three years with one year of overlap between the outgoing LTS version and the new LTS version. Using the current example, .NET 8, the latest LTS release, was released in November 2023, one year before .NET 6 retirement.

ArcGIS Pro Support

ArcGIS Pro versions are supported for three years, with each version going through an initial General Availability phase where Esri will issue software updates and patches as well as certify new environments. Following the General Availability phase is a phase of Mature Support that offers technical support for that version, and after three years the version is retired.

Esri is committed to supporting versions of ArcGIS Pro as published in the ArcGIS Pro Life Cycle and meeting the system requirements. For organizations unable to continue using .NET 6 due to Microsoft's end-of-life designation, Esri offers versions of ArcGIS Pro built on .NET 8 beginning with ArcGIS Pro 3.3 released in May 2024 and continuing with ArcGIS Pro 3.4 released in November 2024.

Looking Ahead

Esri plans to update ArcGIS Pro to the latest .NET LTS releases as soon as they become available. With the ArcGIS Pro release cadence being approximately two releases per year, this means that the November .NET LTS release will be incorporated into the Q2 release of ArcGIS Pro the following year. This is what we saw with ArcGIS Pro 3.3 (May 2024) picking up the latest .NET 8 LTS release (November 2023).

The next LTS release is .NET 10 scheduled for November 2025. Therefore, we plan to build the Q2 2026 version of ArcGIS Pro on .NET 10, approximately six months before Microsoft retires .NET 8.

Though not published by Microsoft yet, following this cadence would mean we should expect to see .NET 12 in November 2027 so we would plan to build the Q2 2028 version of ArcGIS Pro on .NET 12, approximately six months before Microsoft retires .NET 10.

Visual representation of how ArcGIS Pro versions are related to .NET Long Term Support releases. Future ArcGIS Pro releases marked with an asterisk (*) are anticipated and subject to change. Future .NET release dates are estimated based on the published .NET Support Policy as of November 2024.

For Developers

ArcGIS Pro SDK customizations are backwards compatible across .NET versions, allowing .NET 6-based add-ins, configurations and core host applications to continue functioning in Pro 3.3+ on .NET 8. However, for improved performance and support alignment, Esri recommends developers update add-ins to the .NET version corresponding to your version of ArcGIS Pro.

Note:
We’re sharing this information so that you can plan accordingly, providing the cadence and product support lifecycles for .NET remain unchanged in the future.