Release policy
Beacon release cadence, versioning conventions, and deprecation policy.
reference • updated 2026-03-15
Cadence
- Incremental releases: daily (business days).
- Breaking-change releases: weekly window with advance notice.
- Production hotfixes: immediate after minimum validation.
Version semantics
| Type | Example | Expected impact |
|---|---|---|
| Patch | 2026.03.15-p1 | fixes without contract changes |
| Minor | 2026.03.15-m1 | backward-compatible capabilities |
| Breaking | 2026.03.15-b1 | contract changes requiring migration |
Deprecation policy
- Changelog announcement with explicit removal date.
- Runtime warning header for affected clients.
- Migration guide published before deadline.
Production release criteria
- ✅ Unit and integration tests green.
- ✅ Reversible migrations or documented rollback plan.
- ✅ Risk communication distributed to support and operations.