docker-library
Debian Bullseye support removed in patch release
The Debian Bullseye release is currently in LTS until 2026-08-31, which means it still has about a year of official support left.
https://www.debian.org/releases/
The concern is that support for Bullseye was removed in a patch release (from 8.4.11 to 8.4.12) (https://github.com/docker-library/php/pull/1596). This creates the following issues:
Blocked patch updates
Users running on Bullseye are now unable to upgrade to newer patch versions, even though the distribution itself is still officially supported. This limits the community’s ability to stay on track with security and bugfix releases.
Security implications
Being forced to stay on 8.4.11 instead of updating to later patch versions increases risk, as important fixes are missed.
OpenSSL 3 performance degradation
Bullseye’s OpenSSL 1.1.1 generally offers better performance compared to OpenSSL 3. Removing Bullseye support effectively forces users into a version with significant performance regressions.
Would it be possible to reconsider the removal of Debian Bullseye support, at least until its LTS officially ends in 2026? Keeping support until then would allow the community to apply patch updates without being blocked, while also maintaining security and performance stability.
Related Issues
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/issues/16871
