---
title: "FreeBSD 15.0 Release Process"
sidenav: download
---

= FreeBSD {localRel} Release Process
:localRel: 15.0
:localBranchHead: head
:localBranchStable: stable/15
:localBranchReleng: releng/15.0
:localMailingList: stable

include::shared/en/urls.adoc[]

== Introduction

This is the release schedule for FreeBSD {localRel}.
For more information about the release engineering process, please see the link:../../../releng/[Release Engineering] section of the web site.

General discussions about the pending release and known issues should be sent to the public mailto:FreeBSD-{localMailingList}@FreeBSD.org[freebsd-{localMailingList}] mailing list.

// link:{handbook}glossary/#mfc-glossary[MFC] requests should be sent to link:mailto:re@FreeBSD.org[re@FreeBSD.org] following the link:https://wiki.freebsd.org/Releng/ChangeRequestGuidelines[Change Request Guidelines].

// link:{handbook}glossary/#mfc-glossary[MFC] requests are no longer being accepted for {localBranchReleng}.

// link:{handbook}glossary/#mfc-glossary[MFC] requests should be sent to re@FreeBSD.org.

== Schedule

[.tblbasic]
[cols=",,,",options="header",]
|===
|Action |Expected |Actual |Description
|Initial release schedule announcement |- |7 April 2025 |Release Engineers send announcement email to developers with a rough schedule.
|Release schedule reminder |11 July 2025 |11 July 2025 |Release Engineers send reminder announcement e-mail to developers with updated schedule.
|HEAD slush begins |8 August 2025 |8 August 2025 |Release Engineers announce that further commits to the {localBranchHead} branch will not require explicit approval, however new features should be avoided.
|{localBranchStable} branch |5 September 2025 |5 September 2025 |{localBranchStable} branch created; future release engineering proceeds on this branch.
|ALPHA1 builds begin |5 September 2025 |6 September 2025 |First alpha test snapshot.
|ALPHA2 builds begin |12 September 2025 |14 September 2025 |Second alpha test snapshot.
|ALPHA3 builds begin |19 September 2025 |20 September 2025 |Third alpha test snapshot.
|ALPHA4 builds begin |26 September 2025 |26 September 2025 |Fourth alpha test snapshot.
|ALPHA5 builds begin |3 October 2025 |4 October 2025 |Fifth alpha test snapshot.
|{localBranchReleng} branch |[.line-through]#3 October 2025# +
10 October 2025 |10 October 2025 |{localBranchReleng} branch created; future release engineering proceeds on this branch.
|BETA1 builds begin |[.line-through]#3 October 2025# +
10 October 2025 |11 October 2025 |First beta test snapshot.
|BETA2 builds begin |[.line-through]#10 October 2025# +
17 October 2025 |17 October 2025 |Second beta test snapshot.
|BETA3 builds begin |[.line-through]#17 October 2025# +
24 October 2025 |24 October 2025 |Third beta test snapshot.
|BETA4 builds begin |[.line-through]#24 October 2025# +
31 October 2025 |31 October 2025 |Fourth beta test snapshot.
|BETA5 builds begin |7 November 2025 |7 November 2025 |Fifth beta test snapshot.
|RC1 builds begin |[.line-through]#31 October 2025# +
14 November 2025 |16 November 2025 |First release candidate.
|RC2 builds begin |[.line-through]#7 November 2025# +
|18 November 2025 |Second release candidate.
|RC3 builds begin |[.line-through]#14 November 2025# +
21 November 2025 |21 November 2025 |Third release candidate.
|RC4 builds begin |[.line-through]#21 November 2025# +
24 November 2025 |24 November 2025 |Fourth release candidate.
|RELEASE builds begin |28 November 2025 |28 November 2025 |{localRel}-RELEASE builds begin.
|RELEASE announcement |2 December 2025 |2 December 2025 |{localRel}-RELEASE press release.
|{localRel} EoL |30 September 2026 |- |{localRel}-RELEASE no longer supported.
|{localBranchStable} EoL |31 December 2029 |- |{localBranchStable} no longer supported.
|===

"*" indicates "as-needed" items.

////
== Status / TODO
link:todo/[FreeBSD Release Engineering TODO Page]
////

== Additional Information

* link:../../../releng/[FreeBSD Release Engineering website]
