API status: Difference between revisions
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<div class="title">Feature stability levels</div> | <div class="title">Feature stability levels</div> | ||
At Open-Xchange we are continuously improving our products. Most of the time the | |||
changes we make will have no side effects on existing installations and 3rd | |||
party software integration. However, sometimes fixing a bug or adding a new | |||
feature requires changes to the existing API that are not always backwards | |||
compatible. | |||
To help you understand the impact of these changes we have defined the following | |||
API status list. This page describes each level and indicates how information | |||
about changes to documented features is communicated. | |||
In creating these levels we were inspired by the [http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html#documentation_stability_index node.js stability index]. | In creating these levels we were inspired by the [http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html#documentation_stability_index node.js stability index]. | ||
__TOC__ | |||
API features can be categorized as follows. | |||
== In development == | == In development == | ||
Changes will not be announced. Using the | This feature is currently being developed by Open-Xchange. If this is a customer | ||
request the customer requesting the change will provide feedback. On occasion | |||
Open-Xchange may solicit input from a wider audience in order to optimize | |||
feature development for the widest possible audience. Due to the low overhead of | |||
making changes at this stage feedback is more likely to be integrated into the | |||
feature than at other status levels. | |||
Changes will not be announced. Using the watch function to stay updated may | |||
help. We will try to update the documentation concurrently with code changes, | |||
but this cannot be guaranteed. | |||
== New == | == New == | ||
Changes will not be announced. We recommend using the | This feature was recently released, is fully tested and considered stable but is | ||
in the process of settling. Based on customer experience across a diverse range | |||
of production environments it is possible that further changes may be necessary. | |||
To indicate this we have defined a separate level from Stable. | |||
This feature is documented. Changes will not be announced. We recommend using | |||
the watch function for the given page to stay updated. | |||
== Stable == | == Stable == | ||
The feature is considered stable and is fully documented. However it is possible | |||
that cleanup in the underlying code may cause minor changes. | |||
Backwards-compatibility will be maintained if possible. | |||
Changes that are not backwards compatible will be announced in the release | |||
notes. | |||
== Frozen == | == Frozen == | ||
This API has been tested extensively in production and is unlikely to | |||
This API has been tested extensively in production and is unlikely to be | |||
changed. If changes do occur they will be announced in the release notes two | |||
major releases in advance. | |||
== Deprecated == | == Deprecated == | ||
This feature is known to be problematic, and changes or even removal are planned. | |||
This feature is known to be problematic, and changes or even removal are | |||
planned. Do not rely on it. Use of the feature may cause warnings. Backwards | |||
compatibility should not be expected. | |||
Changes will not be announced. | Changes will not be announced. | ||
[[Category:Meta]] | [[Category:Meta]] | ||
[[Category:AppSuite]] | |||
Revision as of 13:08, 7 August 2013
At Open-Xchange we are continuously improving our products. Most of the time the changes we make will have no side effects on existing installations and 3rd party software integration. However, sometimes fixing a bug or adding a new feature requires changes to the existing API that are not always backwards compatible.
To help you understand the impact of these changes we have defined the following API status list. This page describes each level and indicates how information about changes to documented features is communicated.
In creating these levels we were inspired by the node.js stability index.
API features can be categorized as follows.
In development
This feature is currently being developed by Open-Xchange. If this is a customer request the customer requesting the change will provide feedback. On occasion Open-Xchange may solicit input from a wider audience in order to optimize feature development for the widest possible audience. Due to the low overhead of making changes at this stage feedback is more likely to be integrated into the feature than at other status levels.
Changes will not be announced. Using the watch function to stay updated may help. We will try to update the documentation concurrently with code changes, but this cannot be guaranteed.
New
This feature was recently released, is fully tested and considered stable but is in the process of settling. Based on customer experience across a diverse range of production environments it is possible that further changes may be necessary. To indicate this we have defined a separate level from Stable.
This feature is documented. Changes will not be announced. We recommend using the watch function for the given page to stay updated.
Stable
The feature is considered stable and is fully documented. However it is possible that cleanup in the underlying code may cause minor changes. Backwards-compatibility will be maintained if possible.
Changes that are not backwards compatible will be announced in the release notes.
Frozen
This API has been tested extensively in production and is unlikely to be changed. If changes do occur they will be announced in the release notes two major releases in advance.
Deprecated
This feature is known to be problematic, and changes or even removal are planned. Do not rely on it. Use of the feature may cause warnings. Backwards compatibility should not be expected.
Changes will not be announced.