Spring Boot 3.5.16 Drops as the Final OSS Release of the 3.5.x Line

Spring Boot 3.5.16 hit Maven Central today, but this isn't just another patch release — it's the final OSS-supported version of the entire 3.5.x generation. If you're still on 3.5.x, the clock is ticking.

What's in the release?

The release itself is minimal: three dependency upgrades, no new features, no breaking changes. The full changelog is on the GitHub release page. This is strictly a maintenance update to keep the branch healthy before it goes EOL for open-source support.

End of OSS support for 3.5.x

Per the Spring Boot support roadmap, the 3.5.x line will no longer receive open-source patches after this release. Teams still running 3.5.x in production should plan an upgrade to either 4.0.x or 4.1.x to continue getting security and bug fixes. If an immediate upgrade isn't feasible, commercial support from Broadcom (Tanzu) remains available for extended coverage.

What this means for you

If you've been putting off the jump from 3.5.x to 4.x, this is your final warning. Spring Boot 4.x introduced significant changes (Jakarta EE namespace, new auto-configuration patterns, improved GraalVM native-image support), so the migration isn't trivial. Start testing your upgrade path now — don't wait until a critical CVE drops for a version you can't patch.

For those already on 4.x, this release doesn't affect you directly, but it's a good reminder to keep an eye on the support lifecycle of whatever branch you're on.