Node.js has released two long-term support versions: 22.22.1 LTS and 20.20.1 LTS, both of which bring important fixes and performance tweaks to the JavaScript runtime environment. One key change is that Node now uses a newer set of root certificates, known as NSS 3.119, which replaces old CA files and helps prevent TLS connections from failing on services like GitHub or AWS. Another significant update is that Buffer.of no longer allocates memory on the stack, but instead uses the heap, which can help prevent accidental overflows and improve memory usage patterns. Additionally, other tweaks include a new stable flag for debugging memory leaks and improved handling of mixed-type Sets and Maps in assertions.

Node.js 22.22.1 LTS and 20.20.1 LTS released: What You Need to Know Before Switching

The newest long‑term support version of Node has landed, bringing a handful of hard‑won fixes and performance tweaks that can bite you if you keep your runtime stuck on an older release. The changes are subtle but impactful for anyone running production services or building command‑line utilities that depend on the most recent TLS roots and buffer behavior.

Why the Updated Root Certificates Matter

Node’s crypto layer now ships with NSS 3.119, a jump from the 3.117 bundle that shipped in Node 20. This update replaces the embedded root certificate store with a newer one that includes all of the current cross‑signed issuers used by major browsers. In practice, developers have seen TLS connections fail on services like GitHub or AWS when their node binary still references an old CA file. After upgrading to 22 LTS, those handshake errors vanish without any code changes—a silent win for anyone who was silently suffering from “certificate unknown” errors.

Buffer.of Now Uses the Heap

A change that might look small on paper but can actually alter memory usage patterns is that Buffer.of no longer allocates on the stack; it now uses the heap. For scripts that build large arrays of buffers, this means fewer accidental overflows and a steadier memory footprint. If you’ve ever seen a “stack space exceeded” crash in a Node worker, give the new version a try.

Other Tweaks That Save You Time

• The --heapsnapshot-near-heap-limit flag is now marked stable, so you can rely on it for debugging memory leaks without fearing future breaking changes.
• assert.deepStrictEqual now correctly handles mixed‑type Sets and Maps thanks to a bug fix that replaced an array lookup with a Set for faster membership tests. If your test suite was occasionally flakily failing because of this, the new release should smooth it out.

Node.js — Node.js 20.20.1 (LTS)

Node.js is a free, open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that lets developers create servers, web apps, command line tools and scripts.

Node.js — Node.js 20.20.1 (LTS)

Node.js — Node.js 22.22.1 (LTS)

Node.js is a free, open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that lets developers create servers, web apps, command line tools and scripts.

Node.js — Node.js 22.22.1 (LTS)