Hi Vivek, Because of the process for releasing versions in the ASF, we can't really give you an exact date until the very same day the release happens (or in some cases a couple of days before). Each Release Candidate is proposed and must be validated by the community and maintainers. Currently, we are testing RC1 and it seems there are some problems. So probably another release candidate needs to be created.
Best, On Thu, Sep 24, 2026 at 11:10 AM Vivek Agarwal B via users < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Matthias, > > I believe we should now have confirmation of the exact release date for > Kafka 4.4.0. Could you please share the confirmed date? > > Regards > Vivek > > -----Original Message----- > From: Matthias J. Sax <[email protected]> > Sent: 17 September 2026 05:59 > To: Mayank Maheshwari M <[email protected]>; Vivek Agarwal > B <[email protected]>; [email protected] > Cc: Ashish Verma V <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Kafka 4.4.0 formal release date -- Important > > No updates... We are waiting for RC2. > > But today, a potentially new blocker bug was found... > > On 9/16/26 5:27 AM, Mayank Maheshwari M wrote: > > Hi @Matthias J. Sax, > > > > Unfortunately, I have not been able to follow the development mailing > list to monitor the progress, as you suggested, due to security constraints > at Ericsson. > > > > I understand that you previously mentioned the Kafka release may require > approximately two more weeks. As noted in my last email, we have a release > delivery scheduled for the end of September. Therefore, I would like to > check whether you see a possibility of having the Kafka release available > within that timeframe. > > > > I really appreciate your response and support on this. > > > > //Mayank > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Vivek Agarwal B <[email protected]> > > Sent: 16 September 2026 05:05 PM > > To: Matthias J. Sax <[email protected]>; [email protected] > > Cc: Ashish Verma V <[email protected]>; Mayank Maheshwari M > > <[email protected]> > > Subject: RE: Kafka 4.4.0 formal release date -- Important > > > > Hi Matthias, > > > > Do we now have a confirmed date for the formal release of Kafka 4.4.0? > > > > Regards > > Vivek > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Matthias J. Sax <[email protected]> > > Sent: 10 September 2026 02:49 > > To: [email protected]; Vivek Agarwal B > > <[email protected]> > > Cc: Ashish Verma V <[email protected]>; Mayank Maheshwari M > > <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: Kafka 4.4.0 formal release date -- Important > > > > [You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is > > important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ] > > > > As an open source project, we don't have committed release dates. The > page literally says "no earlier than": > > > > > meaning we expect to release no earlier than September 9 2026 > > > > The AK 4.4.0 release is in code freeze, and a first RC was cut. But some > blocker bugs were found, and need to be fixed before the next RC can be > prepared. > > > > If you want to monitor the progress more closely, you can follow the dev > mailing list (or the corresponding email thread on the archive in case you > don't want to subscribe). > > > > At this point, I would think we need _at least_ two more weeks... > > > > > > -Matthias > > > > On 9/8/26 9:52 PM, Mayank Maheshwari M via users wrote: > >> Hi Kafka Team, > >> > >> Appreciate your response to the email below. > >> > >> We have a release planned for the end of September and are planning to > include this Kafka version with the vulnerability fixes in the release. > >> > >> //Mayank > >> > >> From: Vivek Agarwal B <[email protected]> > >> Sent: 08 September 2026 09:16 AM > >> To: [email protected] > >> Cc: Ashish Verma V <[email protected]>; Mayank Maheshwari M > >> <[email protected]> > >> Subject: Kafka 4.4.0 formal release date > >> > >> Hi, > >> > >> As per Release Plan 4.4.0 - Apache Kafka - Apache Software Foundation< > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/spaces/KAFKA/pages/429064575/Release+Plan+4.4.0>, > the formal release for Kafka 4.4.0 is planned for 9th Sep. > >> Could you please confirm that the release date remains unchanged and > that there are no updates to the current schedule? > >> > >> Regards > >> Vivek > > > > -- [image: Aiven] <https://www.aiven.io> *Josep Prat* Sr Engineering Director, Streaming Services, *Aiven* [email protected] | +491715557497 <+49%20171%205557497> aiven.io <https://www.aiven.io/> [image: LinkedIn] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/aiven/posts/?feedView=all> [image: X] <https://x.com/aiven_io> [image: GitHub] <https://github.com/aiven> [image: YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/@Aiven_io> [image: Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/aivencloud> *Aiven Deutschland GmbH* Rosenthaler Straße 43-45, 10178 Berlin Geschäftsführer: Oskari Saarenmaa, Kenneth Chen Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, HRB 209739 B
