# Python 2.7 and 3.4 support plan

Python 2.7 EOL is fast approaching, with upstream support ending in 2020. Python 3.4's last release is scheduled for March 2019. pytest is one of the participating projects of the https://python3statement.org.

The pytest 4.6 series will be the last to support Python 2.7 and 3.4, and is scheduled to be released by mid-2019. pytest 5.0 and onwards will support only Python 3.5+.

Thanks to the python_requires `setuptools` option, Python 2.7 and Python 3.4 users using a modern `pip` version will install the last pytest `4.6` version automatically even if `5.0` or later are available on PyPI.

While pytest `5.0` will be the new mainstream and development version, until January 2020 the pytest core team plans to make bug-fix releases of the pytest `4.6` series by back-porting patches to the `4.6-maintenance` branch that affect Python 2 users.

After 2020, the core team will no longer actively backport patches, but the `4.6-maintenance` branch will continue to exist so the community itself can contribute patches. The core team will be happy to accept those patches and make new `4.6` releases until mid-2020.