Please document minimum required Operating System versions for each release

[juj]

Enter your suggestions in details:

Whenever I update Node.js for use in the Emscripten project, I struggle to find which operating system versions are the minimum requirements for Node.js

For example, Node.js 24.7.0: does it work on macOS 11? does it run on Windows 10 version 21H1 (build 19043) for X64 arch? does it target Windows 11 21H2 (build 22000) for Windows on Arm64? Should it support armv7l?

It would be great for each Node.js doc page (e.g. https://nodejs.org/docs/latest/api/ ) to have a section "Minimum Required Operating System Versions" to make this easier to discover.

[ovflowd]

I don't think this falls under our responsibilities, but the responsibilties of @nodejs/releasers (Node.js Release WG)

We do have an internal "cheat sheet" that gets compiled of constraints, but unfortunately when @nodejs/releasers make changes on nodejs/node regarding dropping/adding support to architectures/platforms we don't get notified. I do feel this could get communicated across teams better so we can keep these more up-to-date. But in general the website downloads page will already fulfill these constraints, as long as they get updated within our own code.

[ovflowd]

That said, we could implement a table that renders the constraints on our /about previous versions page, but the source issue is still better communication between teams. I usually keep an eye on core but completely missed this specific change.

[juj]

I don't think this falls under our responsibilities

I understand. I didn't know where I should report this. My first impression was that since this was information missing from the website, that this would be the place for it, and that reporting it in node would have been rejected as a web page problem and not a node.js program problem.

I feel the best place for this information would be here: https://nodejs.org/docs/latest/api/ between "About this documentation" and "Usage and example", to have a link "Minimum Required Operating System Versions" that would open a page that shows which OS versions are needed to run Node 24.7.0.

At least that is the "flow" where I always try to search first when I need this info. And when the info is not available, I end up on random stackoverflow, and then accidentally stumble on to related information like this.

It would be fantastic for each version docs to have a table of "this is the minimum OS version", along with mention of any quirk/tweak options like NODE_SKIP_PLATFORM_CHECK=1 that might affect the OS version.

[targos]

The official list of supported platforms is on GitHub: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/main/BUILDING.md#platform-list (replace main with v24.x or another release number to know about a specific release).

[juj]

Thank you! Exactly what I was after, didn't occur to search in BUILDING.md. I think this can then be closed as resolved.