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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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+
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Godot versioning
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----------------
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-Godot uses ``major.minor.patch`` version numbering. However, it does not
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-strictly follow `Semantic Versioning <https://semver.org/>`__. This means that
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-releases considered "semver-minor" by that standard (such as 3.1 -> 3.2) will
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-most likely introduce breaking changes. Still, there won't be as many breaking
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-changes as a "semver-major" version bump such as 3.2 -> 4.0.
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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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+
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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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+
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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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+
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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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+
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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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+
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+.. tip::
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+
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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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-In the interest of stability and usability, patch releases may occasionally
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-introduce small breaking changes as well. When repackaging Godot projects (e.g.
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-in a Flatpak), make sure to always use the same patch version as the one used to
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-initially export the project.
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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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+
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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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+
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+.. tip::
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+
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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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+
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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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- The first release in a major/minor release series doesn't end with a
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- trailing zero. For example, the first release in the 3.2 series is ``3.2``,
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- not ``3.2.0``.
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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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-Godot versions are supported for a certain amount of time. While these durations
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-are not set in stone, here's a table with the expected level of support
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-for each Godot version:
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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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+
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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 is 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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+
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+.. To add once 3.3 is released:
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+ | Godot 3.4 | Q2 or Q3 2021 | |supported| *Beta.* Receives new features as well as bug fixes while |
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+ | | | under development. |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| **Version** | **Release date** | **Support level** |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 4.0 | ~2021 (see below) | |unstable| *Current focus of development (unstable).* |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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-| Godot 3.2 | January 2020 | |supported| Backwards-compatible new features (backported from the |
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-| | | ``master`` branch) as well as bug, security, and platform support fixes. |
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+| Godot 3.3 | March/April 2021 | |supported| Receives bug, security and platform support fixes, as well |
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+| | | as backwards-compatible usability enhancements. |
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++-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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+| Godot 3.2 | January 2020 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes |
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+| | | (last update: 3.2.3). |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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-| Godot 3.1 | March 2019 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes. |
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+| Godot 3.1 | March 2019 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes |
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+| | | (last update: 3.1.2). |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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-| Godot 3.0 | January 2018 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes. |
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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 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes. |
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+| Godot 2.1 | July 2016 | |partial| Only critical, security and platform support fixes |
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+| | | (last update: 2.1.6). |
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+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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-| Godot 2.0 | February 2016 | |eol| No longer supported. |
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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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@@ -57,30 +116,30 @@ for each Godot version:
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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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+|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 on a best-effort basis.
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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, there's usually a
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-major or minor Godot release made available every year. Following this trend,
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-this means Godot 4.0 will most likely be released in **2021**.
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+While Godot contributors aren't working under any deadlines, we have
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+historically had one major or minor release per year, with several maintenance
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+updates between each.
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-Patch releases are made available more frequently, typically every 2-6 months
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-while a release is fully supported. Partially supported releases will only have
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-new patch releases once an important security or platform support fix has been
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-merged.
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+Starting with Godot 3.3, we aim to accelerate our development cycles for minor
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+releases, so you can expect a new minor release every 3 to 6 months.
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-.. seealso::
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+Maintenance (patch) releases will be 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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- The `roadmap <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-roadmap>`__ repository
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- documents features that have been agreed upon and may be implemented in future
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- Godot releases.
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+As for the upcoming Godot 4.0, we can only say that we aim for a **2021**
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+release, but any closer estimate is likely to be hard to uphold. Alpha builds
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+will be published as soon as the main features for Godot 4.0 are finalized.
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Rémi Verschelde