From 1 October 2026 Vercel removes Node.js 20 as an option for new deployments in Project Settings. The old stuff keeps running. Only a new build after that date needs a newer version.
- Vercel announced it's deprecating Node.js 20 on its platform.
- From 1 October 2026 the option disappears for new deployments - old ones keep running.
- The recommended path is Node.js 24 via the engines.node field in package.json.
Runtime housekeeping, nothing more. Vercel regularly clears old Node.js versions off its platform - every host that takes its runtime lifecycle seriously does this. Node.js 20 is next.
Here's what people skimming the headline miss - 'deprecated' doesn't mean 'your site dies on 1 October'. Your live deploy on Node 20 stays alive. The trap is elsewhere. The first time you push a new build after that date without bumping the version, it fails. Simply because package.json has sat untouched for months and nobody thought about the version.
The change is one line in package.json - five minutes of work today. Leave it for October and you'll find it exactly when you don't have the time, mid-deploy on something else, under pressure.