[Shipped] Support for Node.js 16.x (LTS)

[kaleabmelkie]

Edit: Node.js 16 LTS support has been released: https://twitter.com/vercel_changes/status/1523730208750252033

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Currently, it seems that only Node.js 12.x and 14.x are supported.

Is there a temporary workaround (or a timeline) for shipping apps that need the 16.x LTS version on Vercel?

[leerob]

Edit: Node.js 16 LTS support has been released.

[earlybail]

Hello, is there any update on this?

[Pieparker]

Still waiting on aws/aws-lambda-base-images#14 y'all!

[wokejacqueline]

@Pieparker any update on this? looks like aws updated the lambda base images to support node 16. any idea on vercel's timeline? :)

[Pieparker]

Not yet!

[pcjmfranken]

If the overhead is worth it to you, you could create a custom Vercel runtime and have it run a custom AWS Lambda runtime¹ (your own or someone else's²) with whatever Node.js version you want.

Maybe if we ask @leerob really kindly he could get Vercel to provide one³? wink wink

Footnotes

1. Post from an AWS dev with some interesting insight in how the Lambda runtimes are put together: https://github.com/aws/aws-lambda-base-images/issues/7#issuecomment-771083483 ↩

2. Random find, run at your own risk: https://github.com/janaz/aws-lambda-node-runtime ↩

3. And silently switch to the official AWS Node 16 lambda runtime when it's out ↩

[kvetoslavnovak]

+1
To replace all my usage of the String.prototype.replaceAll() string method in my backend code only because of Vercel Node.js 14.x limit is very frustrating TBH :-P

[fierysolid]

Maybe consider also offering Cloud Functions from Google as an option since AWS doesn't seem to care about updating their base images in a timely manner.

[mattpilott]

I've just created and then cancelled a pro account due to node 14 still being the latest option on vercel. Will return when 16 is available!

[bradennapier]

Documentation should be updated as you say you support the latest LTS but you don't - you support the latest LTS that AWS Lambda natively supports :-P

[chronos-ohm]

Consider adding support for other cloud providers. Depending on AWS to update node version support is not a good idea.

[michaelhays]

Fusebit recently released everynode, which:

allows you to run any version of Node.js in AWS Lambda ... within six hours of the release.

See this comment in the Node v16 AWS issue for more context.

Would Vercel be willing to add support for this? It appears to be well-tested. This would be extremely helpful, since AWS appears to take a full calendar year to add support for Node.js versions after their initial release. I'd love to be able to use Node.js v18 in Vercel Functions in April 2022 🙏

[sedhha]

I wish Vercel could use GCP... AWS downtimes and issues have been so much pain at many times to me!

[alfosua]

AWS dead time is a joke. It seems that they may wait for a full maintenance release:

https://nodejs.org/en/about/releases/

And Node 16 Maintenance LTS release will do about October, this year! That's a lot of time to wait for!

I think @pcjmfranken's proposal would really help for the next 8 months. You could leave a note that the runtime may not be stable.

[leerob]

Hey everyone! We're extremely close, looking at a release in the next few weeks: aws/aws-lambda-base-images#14 (comment)

Thank for your being patient here 🙏

[leerob]

Great news everyone, Node.js 16 LTS support has been released! 🎉

https://twitter.com/vercel_changes/status/1523730208750252033