149 lines
8.3 KiB
Text
149 lines
8.3 KiB
Text
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.. _doc_release_policy:
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Godot release policy
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====================
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Godot's release policy is in constant evolution. What is described below is
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intended to give a general idea of what to expect, but what will actually
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happen depends on the choices of core contributors, and the needs of the
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community at a given time.
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Godot versioning
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----------------
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Godot loosely follows `Semantic Versioning <https://semver.org/>`__ with a
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``major.minor.patch`` versioning system, albeit with an interpretation of each
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term adapted to the complexity of a game engine:
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- The ``major`` version is incremented when major compatibility breakages happen
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which imply significant porting work to move projects from one major version
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to another.
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For example, porting Godot projects from Godot 2.1 to Godot 3.0 required
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running the project through a conversion tool, and then performing a number
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of further adjustments manually for what the tool could not do automatically.
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- The ``minor`` version is incremented for feature releases which do not break
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compatibility in a major way. Minor compatibility breakage in very specific
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areas *may* happen in minor versions, but the vast majority of projects
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should not be affected or require significant porting work.
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The reason for this is that as a game engine, Godot covers many areas such
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as rendering, physics, scripting, etc., and fixing bugs or implementing new
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features in a given area may sometimes require changing the behavior of a
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feature, or modifying the interface of a given class, even if the rest of
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the engine API remains backwards compatible.
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.. tip::
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Upgrading to a new minor version is therefore recommended for all users,
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but some testing is necessary to ensure that your project still behaves as
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expected in a new minor version.
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- The ``patch`` version is incremented for maintenance releases which focus on
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fixing bugs and security issues, implementing new requirements for platform
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support, and backporting safe usability enhancements. Patch releases are
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backwards compatible.
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Patch versions may include minor new features which do not impact the
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existing API, and thus have no risk of impacting existing projects.
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.. tip::
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Updating to new patch versions is therefore considered safe and strongly
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recommended to all users of a given stable branch.
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We call ``major.minor`` combinations *stable branches*. Each stable branch
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starts with a ``major.minor`` release (without the ``0`` for ``patch``) and is
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further developed for maintenance releases in a Git branch of the same name
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(for example patch updates for the 3.3 stable branch are developed in the
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``3.3`` Git branch).
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.. note::
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As mentioned in the introduction, Godot's release policy is evolving, and
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earlier Godot releases may not have followed the above rules to the letter.
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In particular, the 3.2 stable branch received a number of new features in
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3.2.2 which would have warranted a ``minor`` version increment.
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Release support timeline
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------------------------
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Stable branches are supported *at minimum* until the next stable branch is
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released and has received its first patch update. In practice, we support
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stable branches on a *best effort* basis for as long as they have active users
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who need maintenance updates.
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Whenever a new major version is released, we make the previous stable branch a
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long-term supported release, and do our best to provide fixes for issues
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encountered by users of that branch who cannot port complex projects to the new
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major version. This was the case for the 2.1 branch, and will be the case for
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the latest 3.x stable branch by the time Godot 4.0 is released.
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In a given minor release series, only the latest patch release receives support.
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If you experience an issue using an older patch release, please upgrade to the
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latest patch release of that series and test again before reporting an issue
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on GitHub.
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| **Version** | **Release date** | **Support level** |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 4.0 | Q1 2023 (estimate) | |unstable| *Beta.* Current focus of development (unstable). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.6 | Q1-Q2 2023 (estimate)| |supported| *Beta.* Receives new features as well as bug fixes while |
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| (LTS) | | under development. Will be released *after* 4.0. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.5 | August 2022 | |supported| Receives fixes for bugs, security and platform support |
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| | | issues, as well as backwards-compatible usability enhancements. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.4 | November 2021 | |partial| Receives fixes for security and platform support issues only. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.3 | April 2021 | |eol| No longer supported as fully superseded by the compatible 3.4 |
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| | | release (last update: 3.3.4). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.2 | January 2020 | |eol| No longer supported (last update: 3.2.3). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.1 | March 2019 | |eol| No longer supported (last update: 3.1.2). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 3.0 | January 2018 | |eol| No longer supported (last update: 3.0.6). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 2.1 | July 2016 | |eol| No longer supported (last update: 2.1.6). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 2.0 | February 2016 | |eol| No longer supported (last update: 2.0.4.1). |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 1.1 | May 2015 | |eol| No longer supported. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 1.0 | December 2014 | |eol| No longer supported. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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.. |supported| image:: img/supported.png
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.. |partial| image:: img/partial.png
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.. |eol| image:: img/eol.png
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.. |unstable| image:: img/unstable.png
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**Legend:**
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|supported| Full support –
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|partial| Partial support –
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|eol| No support (end of life) –
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|unstable| Development version
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Pre-release Godot versions aren't intended to be used in production and are
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provided for testing purposes only.
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.. _doc_release_policy_when_is_next_release_out:
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When is the next release out?
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-----------------------------
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While Godot contributors aren't working under any deadlines, we strive to
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publish minor releases relatively frequently, with an average of two 3.x minor
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releases per year since Godot 3.3.
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Maintenance (patch) releases are released as needed with potentially very
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short development cycles, to provide users of the current stable branch with
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the latest bug fixes for their production needs.
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As for the upcoming Godot 4.0, as of December 2022, we are well into the *beta*
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phase, and are aiming for a stable release in Q1 2023.
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`Follow the Godot blog <https://godotengine.org/news>`__ for the latest updates.
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