This document outlines the goals of ESP-IDF project and is shared for the convenience of our customers. It is important to clarify that this document is not a binding commitment to our customers. Instead, its primary purpose is to offer a clear roadmap and direction for the project's development. By openly sharing this information, we aim to enhance our customers' understanding, promote transparency and ensure alignment with the overarching objectives of the ESP-IDF project.
## Project Overview
### Project Goals
In both minor and major releases, we integrate new chip support to enhance our product range. By expanding the chip matrix, we broaden the scope of our offerings, catering to a wider audience with diverse needs. This proactive approach ensures that our products remain at the forefront of technological advancements, consistently meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
Furthermore, we prioritize bugfix releases for active branches, focusing on improving the stability and performance of products already in production. By addressing bugs promptly, we aim to enhance the overall user experience and provide tangible benefits to customers relying on our solutions. This proactive maintenance strategy reflects our commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality products to our valued customer base.
Please note that support status of previous silicones could be found on [ESP-IDF Release and SoC Compatibility](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf#esp-idf-release-and-soc-compatibility).
### Roadmap Details
The ESP-IDF project prioritizes consistent maintenance and updates to ensure our customers remain at the forefront of technological advancements. Our commitment to ongoing development ensures that customers continuously benefit from the latest innovations in the field.
Moreover, we are dedicated to empowering our customers to leverage newly implemented features and enhanced functionalities through iterative improvements. Our steadfast commitment to pushing boundaries ensures that clients not only keep pace with evolving technology but also extract optimal value from the cutting-edge capabilities of our products.
Below are the main roadmap details for functional areas inside ESP-IDF.
- Add the initial support for the mass production version of ESP32-C5 in ESP-IDF v5.5, refer to [ESP32-C5 Support Status](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/issues/14021)
- Add the initial support for the mass production version of ESP32-C61 in ESP-IDF v5.5, refer to [ESP32-C61 Support Status](https://developer.espressif.com/pages/chip-support-status/esp32c61/#esp-idf)
- Do bugfix releases v5.0.8 and v5.0.9 and stop maintaining ESP-IDF v5.0 in May 2025
- Do bugfix releases v5.1.6 and v5.1.7 and stop maintaining ESP-IDF v5.1 in December 2025
- Release bugfix IDF v5.2.4 and IDF v5.2.5 in 2025, and push release/5.2 to maintenance period from February 2025
- Release bugfix IDF v5.3.3 and IDF v5.3.4 in 2025, and push release/5.3 to maintenance period from July 2025
- Do more bug fixes releases for release/5.4 (IDF v5.4.1, IDF v5.4.2, IDF v5.4.3) and release/5.5 (IDF v5.5.1, IDF v5.5.2), and push releases to be more stable and more production-ready
> However for the December release, we are also considering another minor version v5.6. We would consolidate the planning in the middle of 2025 and replace v6.0 with v5.6 if v5.6 version planning is decided.
