Difference between revisions of "Release and support cycle"

From Joomla! Documentation

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Joomla! is developed using a fixed release cycle. '''Every six months''', the Joomla! Project releases a new ''minor'' or ''major'' version of Joomla!. Joomla!'s version format is:
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:{{dablink|<tt>[major].[minor].[maintenance]</tt>}}
 
  
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Each version of Joomla! is supported by the Joomla! Project for a limited amount of time. There are two classifications for support: short term support (STS) and long term support (LTS). Every '''fourth''' release will be assigned long term support.
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{{Joomla version|version={{CurrentSTSVer|maintenace}}|comment='''<translate><!--T:14-->
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Stable Version</translate>'''}}
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This page provides a '''summary''' of the current development strategy published on '''25 April 2014'''. All Joomla versions '''released before 25 April 2014''' have been developed according to '''[[S:MyLanguage/Past release and support cycle|previous release and support cycle]]'''. You should read the full text of the [http://developer.joomla.org/news/586-joomla-development-strategy.html Joomla development strategy] for a more detailed explanation.
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:*'''STS (short term support)''' releases are supported for '''seven months'''. Their support ends one month after the next release of Joomla is released. They are one click upgrades to the next STS or LTS version.
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Joomla! is developed following [http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html Semantic Versioning (2.0.0)]. The use of LTS (Long Term Support) and STS (Short Term Support) is no longer relevant or observed. The terms found directly below will be used for clarity. You should understand these terms and their meanings.
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:*'''LTS (long term support)''' releases are supported for '''twenty-seven months'''.
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* '''supported''' - latest minor version(s) of a major version will receive patches which will include bug and security fixes
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* '''current''' - the youngest or 'latest' <tt>major.x.x</tt> officially released version
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* '''legacy''' - any <tt>major.minor.patch</tt> version(s) which are not the current version<ref name="legacyExplain">Note, legacy is a term used to only designate the status of a version in relation to the current version. Users and developers should pay close attention to the EOS date(s) to determine the viability of legacy version use or continued use.</ref>
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* '''stable''' - major version ready for use in a production environment implied with current and legacy<ref name="AlphaBetaRC">Version(s) marked with alpha, beta or rc (release candidate) should be used for testing only.</ref>
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* '''EOS''' - an acronym for 'end of support' which indicates no further patches will be released for bugs or security fixes
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* '''EOL''' - an acronym for 'end of life' which indicates the same meaning as EOS<ref name="eol">EOS may be used interchangeably with EOL. Either term indicates the 'end of support' and nothing more. Do not confuse 'EOL' to mean the software will cease to work.</ref>
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Please note that both STS and LTS releases, once they have reached the ''GA (General Availability)'' status, are fully functional and ready to be used in production environment. The disadvantage of using STS releases is that you will need to update your installation of Joomla! every six months, while the advantage is that you will have access to new features and extensions earlier.
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Each major version of Joomla! is supported by The Joomla! Project<sup>TM</sup> for a limited amount of time, begenning from the initial date of its official release. Joomla will actively develop each major version for a minimum of 2 years. This may be followed by continued development of a major version as per scheduled on a major version's roadmap.<ref name="supported_releases">The full explanation of supported releases can be found under the heading [http://developer.joomla.org/news/586-joomla-development-strategy.html#supported_releases 4.3 Supported releases] on the Joomla Development Strategy document.</ref> A short summary would be:
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Generally, the first STS release after an LTS release indicates the beginning of a new ''major release cycle''. This STS release introduces fundamentally new features and changes that break compatibility with the previous LTS. Two more STS releases follow (usually compatible with the first STS release), and the release cycle is finished by the release of an LTS release which finalizes the work of the three STS releases. The four releases in one cycle will usually be numbered <tt>[major].0</tt>,<tt>[major].1</tt> and <tt>[major].2</tt> (STS) and <tt>[major].5</tt> (LTS). For example, the STS release 3.0 will include breaking changes from 2.5, and 3.5 will include matured versions of the changes in 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2.
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* each major version will have a minimum of 4 years of support
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* you should always use or update to the latest major version's <tt>minor.patch</tt>
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* each minor version update released is backwards compatible with the previous minor version of the same major version<ref name="bc">An extension or template installed on <tt>major.0.x</tt> version will work on <tt>major.7.x</tt> version. Extension or template are created by a 3rd party developer and their updates are the responsibility of each developer to publish. The installation of extension or template updates are the responsibility of the user.</ref>
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Usually, there will be a migration path (an officially supported way of migrating to the next version) between two LTS releases (from <tt>[major].5</tt> to <tt>[next major].5</tt>) and between an LTS release and the STS releases in its major release cycle (from <tt>[major].2</tt> to <tt>[major].5</tt>, for example), but not necessarily to the '''following''' STS releases (from <tt>[major].5</tt> to <tt>[next major].0</tt>). In the case of 1.5 to 2.5 (LTS to LTS), for example, there is a migration path. Note that in the case of 2.5 to 3.0 (LTS to STS), there is also built-in migration path, since the changes aren't too incompatible.
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Please use the [[S:MyLanguage/Joomla CMS Development Roadmap|Joomla! CMS Development Roadmap]] or the [[S:MyLanguage/Joomla! CMS versions|Joomla! CMS versions]] chart to determine the estimated EOS (end of support) for each <tt>major.minor</tt> version(s) or the entire major version.
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For more information, see [http://developer.joomla.org/cms/development-strategy.html the official Development Strategy].
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=== Version Numbering Explained === <!--T:7-->
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The version identifiers for Joomla follow a three level numerical convention where the levels are defined by the software change significance.
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:''<pre>[major].[minor].[patch]</pre>''
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These 3 levels are defined as:
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#An increment in the '''major''' version identifier indicates a break in backward compatibility.
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#An increment in the '''minor''' version identifier indicates the addition of new features or a significant change to existing features.
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#An increment in the '''patch''' version identifier indicates that bugs have been fixed.
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==== Examples ==== <!--T:10-->
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You are using Joomla version <tt>3.3.6</tt>. This means your version is major version 3, minor version 3, patch version 6. If a patch is released for <tt>3.3.6</tt>, it would increase your Joomla version to <tt>3.3.7</tt>. If a new minor version for major version 3 is released, your new Joomla version would become <tt>3.4.0</tt>. This page will always show the '''current stable supported version''' of Joomla, including the minor and patch, in the top right corner.
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The latest STS version documented on this Wiki is {{CurrentSTSVer}} (see [[:Category:Joomla! {{CurrentSTSVer|minor}}]]). The latest LTS version documented on this Wiki is {{CurrentLTSVer}} (see [[:Category:Joomla! {{CurrentLTSVer|minor}}]]).
 
 
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[[Category:Development Reference]]
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== References == <!--T:12-->
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[[Category:CMS Development Reference]]
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[[Category:Joomla! versions]]</translate></noinclude>

Revision as of 23:11, 4 March 2015

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Joomla! 
3.10.12
Stable Version

This page provides a summary of the current development strategy published on 25 April 2014. All Joomla versions released before 25 April 2014 have been developed according to previous release and support cycle. You should read the full text of the Joomla development strategy for a more detailed explanation.

Joomla! is developed following Semantic Versioning (2.0.0). The use of LTS (Long Term Support) and STS (Short Term Support) is no longer relevant or observed. The terms found directly below will be used for clarity. You should understand these terms and their meanings.

  • supported - latest minor version(s) of a major version will receive patches which will include bug and security fixes
  • current - the youngest or 'latest' major.x.x officially released version
  • legacy - any major.minor.patch version(s) which are not the current version[1]
  • stable - major version ready for use in a production environment implied with current and legacy[2]
  • EOS - an acronym for 'end of support' which indicates no further patches will be released for bugs or security fixes
  • EOL - an acronym for 'end of life' which indicates the same meaning as EOS[3]

Each major version of Joomla! is supported by The Joomla! ProjectTM for a limited amount of time, begenning from the initial date of its official release. Joomla will actively develop each major version for a minimum of 2 years. This may be followed by continued development of a major version as per scheduled on a major version's roadmap.[4] A short summary would be:

  • each major version will have a minimum of 4 years of support
  • you should always use or update to the latest major version's minor.patch
  • each minor version update released is backwards compatible with the previous minor version of the same major version[5]

Please use the Joomla! CMS Development Roadmap or the Joomla! CMS versions chart to determine the estimated EOS (end of support) for each major.minor version(s) or the entire major version.

Version Numbering Explained[edit]

The version identifiers for Joomla follow a three level numerical convention where the levels are defined by the software change significance. 

[major].[minor].[patch]

These 3 levels are defined as:

  1. An increment in the major version identifier indicates a break in backward compatibility.
  2. An increment in the minor version identifier indicates the addition of new features or a significant change to existing features.
  3. An increment in the patch version identifier indicates that bugs have been fixed.

Examples[edit]

You are using Joomla version 3.3.6. This means your version is major version 3, minor version 3, patch version 6. If a patch is released for 3.3.6, it would increase your Joomla version to 3.3.7. If a new minor version for major version 3 is released, your new Joomla version would become 3.4.0. This page will always show the current stable supported version of Joomla, including the minor and patch, in the top right corner.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Note, legacy is a term used to only designate the status of a version in relation to the current version. Users and developers should pay close attention to the EOS date(s) to determine the viability of legacy version use or continued use.
  2. ↑ Version(s) marked with alpha, beta or rc (release candidate) should be used for testing only.
  3. ↑ EOS may be used interchangeably with EOL. Either term indicates the 'end of support' and nothing more. Do not confuse 'EOL' to mean the software will cease to work.
  4. ↑ The full explanation of supported releases can be found under the heading 4.3 Supported releases on the Joomla Development Strategy document.
  5. ↑ An extension or template installed on major.0.x version will work on major.7.x version. Extension or template are created by a 3rd party developer and their updates are the responsibility of each developer to publish. The installation of extension or template updates are the responsibility of the user.
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