v1.4 planning

[AkihiroSuda]

runc/RELEASES.md

Lines 50 to 65 in 7a982f4

	| Date | Release | Notes |
	| ---------- | ------------ | ----- |
	| 200X-02-28 | `1.3.0-rc.1` | `release-1.3` branch created, feature freeze. |
	| 200X-03-12 | `1.3.0-rc.2` | |
	| 200X-03-25 | `1.3.0-rc.3` | |
	| 200X-04-30 | `1.3.0` | `1.3` release published. |
	| 200X-05-10 | `1.3.1` | |
	| 200X-06-21 | `1.3.2` | |
	| 200X-06-25 | `1.3.3` | |
	| 200X-07-02 | `1.3.4` | |
	| 200X-08-28 | `1.4.0-rc.1` | `release-1.4` branch created, feature freeze. |
	| 200X-09-15 | `1.3.5` | Patch releases in other release branches have no impact on the new release branch. |
	| 200X-09-21 | `1.4.0-rc.2` | |
	| 200X-10-31 | `1.4.0` | `1.4` release published. |
	| 200X-11-10 | `1.4.1` | |
	| 200X-12-25 | `1.4.2` | |

We released v1.3.0 on 2025-04-30, so we should have released v1.4.0-rc1 last week (2025-08-28).

Maybe we can just reschedule v1.4.0-rc1 to the originally planned date of v1.4.0-rc2 (2025-09-21)?

---

Release blockers (maintainers may edit this list)

• v1.3 planning runtime-spec#1295

[cyphar]

I worked through the list of remaining issues last week, I was planning on sending an rc1 this week. EDIT: I don't know if we need to wait for a runtime-spec update to be honest, and I don't think we need to delay it by another 2-3 weeks.

[cyphar]

The only remaining issues from last week that I saw were #4617 (I can send a patch for that) and whether #4347 can be closed because the spec was updated to make runc's behaviour correct. If runtime-spec 1.3 isn't ready then we can update it in April.

[AkihiroSuda]

I don't know if we need to wait for a runtime-spec update to be honest, and I don't think we need to delay it by another 2-3 weeks.

For runc RCs no need to wait for the spec update, but for GA releases we should avoid importing a "random main commit"

[h-vetinari]

Maybe we can just reschedule v1.4.0-rc1 to the originally planned date of v1.4.0-rc2 (2025-09-21)?

I don't think it makes sense to follow the dates religiously. Better get rc1 out with a bit of delay, and then keep the rest of the schedule on track. The two month buffer between rc1 and GA is exactly to be able to absorb unexpected problems, disturbances or minor delays.

[cyphar]

I started working on the changelog yesterday, I'll post the v1.4.0-rc.1 PR today.

[cyphar]

#4881 is the rc1 PR.

[cyphar]

https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/releases/tag/v1.4.0-rc.1

[pacoxu]

https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/releases/tag/v1.4.0-rc.2

[rata]

FYI rc.1 passed all tests in containerd, moby and buildkit. rc.2 passed containerd and moby, buildkit run pending:

• [DNM] WIP: Test upcoming runc version containerd/containerd#12295
• [DNM] WIP: Test runc 1.4 moby/moby#50960
• [DNM] WIP: Test runc 1.4 moby/buildkit#6219

The containerd tests include kubernetes tests

[AkihiroSuda]

The ETA of the spec v1.3 is 2025-11-04:

• Release v1.3.0 runtime-spec#1302

runc v1.4 will follow this date