# Version Check Review — Architecture Spine (2026-07-07)

**Status:** COMPLETE
**Reviewer:** Automated web-research verification
**File reviewed:** `ARCHITECTURE-SPINE.md`

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## Methodology

Each technology version asserted in the Stack table was checked against the latest stable release as of July 2026 via web search of official sources (Node.js release schedule, React releases page, Vite blog, Express.js releases, TypeScript dev blog, npm registry).

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## Findings

| Technology | Claimed | Actual Current Stable | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Node.js** | ^22 LTS | **24.x "Krypton"** (Active LTS) | OUTDATED |
| **React** | ^19.x | 19.2.7 (latest 19.x) | CORRECT |
| **Vite** | ^6.x | **8.1** (Vite 8 released March 2026) | OUTDATED |
| **Express** | ^5.x | 5.2.1 (current production line) | CORRECT |
| **TypeScript** | ^5.x | **6.0.3** (stable since March 2026; 7.0 RC available) | OUTDATED |

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## Detailed Analysis

### 1. Node.js — OUTDATED (claimed ^22, reality: 24 LTS)

- **Node.js 24.x "Krypton"** is the current Active LTS (since 2025-10-28). It enters Maintenance in 2026-10-20, EOL 2028-04-30.
- **Node.js 22.x "Jod"** entered Maintenance LTS on 2025-10-21 (security fixes only). It is **not** the recommended version for new projects.
- Node.js 26.0.0 (Current) was released May 2026, will become LTS in October 2026.
- **Recommendation:** Pin to `^24.x`. Using 22.x means starting on a maintenance-only release line.

### 2. React — CORRECT (^19.x)

- React 19.2.7 is the latest stable (June 1, 2026). The entire active release family is 19.x.
- No React 20 has been released. The `^19.x` semver is accurate for current production use.

### 3. Vite — OUTDATED (claimed ^6, reality: 8.1)

- **Vite 8.0** was released March 12, 2026, replacing esbuild+Rollup with the Rust-based Rolldown bundler.
- **Vite 8.1** is the latest stable (June 23, 2026).
- Vite 7.0 existed in between (released 2025). Vite 6.x is two major versions behind.
- **Recommendation:** Pin to `^8.x`. Vite 8 offers 10-30x faster production builds and is the actively maintained line.

### 4. Express — CORRECT (^5.x)

- Express 5.2.1 is the latest stable, recommended by the Express TC for production use.
- Express 5.0 was released September 2024. Express 4.x is in maintenance (EOL ~2026-10-01).
- `^5.x` is accurate.

### 5. TypeScript — OUTDATED (claimed ^5.x, reality: 6.0.3)

- **TypeScript 6.0** was released March 23, 2026 (latest patch: 6.0.3, April 16, 2026).
- TypeScript 7.0 RC is available (Go-native compiler, ~10x speedup) and will likely be stable within weeks/months.
- TypeScript 5.x entered maintenance after 6.0 shipped.
- **Recommendation:** Pin to `^6.x` for now (stable). Consider a near-term bump to `^7.x` once 7.0 goes stable, given the massive compiler performance gains.

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## Summary

| Verdict | Count |
|---|---|
| CORRECT | 2 (React 19.x, Express 5.x) |
| OUTDATED | 3 (Node.js, Vite, TypeScript) |

Three of five committed technology decisions are **behind the current stable lines**. The most impactful gap is Vite (two major versions behind, missing the Rolldown bundler and significant build-speed improvements). TypeScript 6.x is a full major behind. Node.js 22.x is on maintenance-only support.

**Action:** Update the Stack table to reflect Node.js ^24, Vite ^8, and TypeScript ^6 before proceeding to implementation. The architecture invariants (AD-1 through AD-9) are unaffected; only the tooling version pins need adjustment.
