The new Long-Term Support (LTS) version of SonarQube has been released, offering various new features and improvements for developers. To minimize downtime and remove surprises during the upgrade process, administrators can follow tips and recommendations provided by SonarQube to prepare for their upgrade. This includes referencing the Upgrade Guide, LTS Upgrade release notes, and practicing first in a staging environment to test the upgrade without disrupting production. Additionally, tuning performance by adjusting database settings and reviewing integrations with supporting software and third-party plugins are also crucial to ensure a smooth transition. With the help of the SonarQube community and commercial support contracts, developers can stay on the road to cleaner and safer code.