End of Life Announcement: For Chrome 134 and Node.js 16 runtime for synthetics

On February 9, 2026, New Relic will upgrade synthetics runtime environments, ending support for:

• Chrome 134 browser runtime
• Node.js 16 runtime for both API and browser monitors

The following upgrades will be implemented:

• Synthetics Node API runtime: Upgraded to Node.js 22
• Synthetics Node browser runtime: Upgraded to Node.js 22
• Chrome browser: Upgraded to Chrome 140
• Release candidate version available via Docker image tags (rc1.x)

What's changing?

The following monitor types will be affected by these changes:

• Scripted Browser
• Step Monitor
• Simple Browser Monitors
• Scripted API
• Cert Check
• Broken Link

Note: Moving to Chrome 140 automatically upgrades to Node.js 22.

Transition timeline

Public locations

• Node API runtime: Default remains Node.js 16 until February 8, 2026. On February 9, 2026, all monitors will be force upgraded to Node.js 22.

• Node Browser runtime: Default remains Chrome 134 for three months starting November 1, 2025. Force upgrade to Chrome 140 occurs on February 9, 2026.

Private locations

• Node API runtime: The "latest" tag on DESIRED_RUNTIMES will point to Node.js 22 runtime starting December 1, 2025. Until then, "latest" points to Node.js 16 runtime.

• Node Browser runtime: The "latest" tag on DESIRED_RUNTIMES will point to Chrome 140 with Node.js 22 runtime starting December 8, 2025. Until then, "latest" points to Chrome 134 with Node.js 16 runtime.

Changes during transition period

For public browser monitors

In the creation/edit monitor screen, you'll see the ability to select Chrome browser versions:

• Chrome 134
• Chrome 140

For other monitor types

Select the runtime in the Configure monitor screen.

What you need to do during the transition period

1. Review and test your monitors using the new runtime options available in the monitor configuration screens.

2. Address Node.js 22 time out behavior: Node.js 22 has documented issues with time out behavior for resource handles. Review the Node.js 22 release documentation for details.

3. Ensure monitors don't time out with Node.js 22 before the transition date.

Handle resource cleanup properly

Our analysis indicates that Node.js executes browser monitor scripts successfully but waits for open handles, eventually causing monitor time-outs. Ensure proper cleanup of resource handles.

Example 1 - Stream cleanup:

let downloadStream = got.stream(fileDownloadUrl);
// Add cleanup in finally block
finally { 
  if (downloadStream) { 
    downloadStream.destroy(); 
  } 
}

Example 2 - HTTPS request cleanup:

const req = https.request(options, (res) => {
  try {
    const cert = res.socket.getPeerCertificate();

    if (cert && Object.keys(cert).length > 0) {
      const validTo = cert.valid_to || cert.validTo;
      console.log("Raw certificate valid_to:", validTo);
      resolve({ validTo: validTo });
    } else {
      reject(new Error("Could not get certificate information"));
    }
  } catch (err) {
    res.destroy();
    if (res.socket) res.socket.destroy();
    reject(err);
  }
});

In the above example, res.socket is opening the socket and in the if condition we are not closing the socket. For above code, you can add cleanup functionality as follows:

const req = https.request(options, (res) => {
  try {
    const cert = res.socket.getPeerCertificate();

    // Always destroy the response and socket
    const cleanup = () => {
      try {
        res.destroy();
        if (res.socket && !res.socket.destroyed) {
          res.socket.destroy();
        }
      } catch (e) {
        console.log("Cleanup warning:", e.message);
      }
    };

    if (cert && Object.keys(cert).length > 0) {
      const validTo = cert.valid_to || cert.validTo;
      console.log("Raw certificate valid_to:", validTo);
      cleanup();
      resolve({ validTo: validTo });
    } else {
      cleanup();
      reject(new Error("Could not get certificate information"));
    }
  } catch (err) {
    res.destroy();
    if (res.socket) res.socket.destroy();
    reject(err);
  }
});

Troubleshooting

Monitor time-outs or failures after upgrade

• Check for usage of deprecated Node.js APIs that were removed or changed in Node.js 22
• Re-run monitors locally using Node.js 22 to reproduce and fix issues
• If failures persist only on browser monitors, verify Chrome 140-specific behavior and contact support

Rollback options

• Public locations: Temporarily switch monitor runtime back to Chrome 134 during the transition window

Additional resources

• Synthetics runtime documentation

• If you have questions or need assistance during this transition, please contact our support team