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161 lines
9.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _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. The description below
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provides 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 3.x to Godot 4.x requires
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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 that 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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This is because Godot, as a game engine, covers many areas like rendering,
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physics, and scripting. Fixing bugs or implementing new features in one area
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might sometimes require changing a feature's behavior or modifying a class's
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interface, even if the rest of the engine API remains backwards compatible.
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.. tip::
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Upgrading to a new minor version is 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.
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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 4.0 stable branch are developed in the
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``4.0`` Git branch).
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Release support timeline
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------------------------
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Stable branches are supported *at least* 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 is the case for the
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3.6 branch.
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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 4.1 | Q2-Q3 2023 (estimate)| |unstable| *Development.* Receives new features as well as bug fixes |
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| (`master`) | | while under development. |
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+-------------+----------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Godot 4.0 | March 2023 | |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 3.6 | Q2-Q3 2023 (estimate)| |supported| *Beta.* Receives new features as well as bug fixes while |
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| (`3.x`, 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 | |eol| No longer supported, as fully superseded by the compatible 3.5 |
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| | | release (last update: 3.4.5). |
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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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.. seealso::
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See :ref:`doc_upgrading_to_godot_4` for instructions on migrating a project
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from Godot 3.x to 4.x.
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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.
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In particular, after the very length release cycle for 4.0, we are pivoting to
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a faster paced development workflow, with the 4.1 release expected within late
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Q2 / early Q3 2023.
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Frequent minor releases will enable us to ship new features faster (possibly
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as experimental), get user feedback quickly, and iterate to improve those
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features and their usability. Likewise, the general user experience will be
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improved more steadily with a faster path to the end users.
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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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The 3.6 release is still planned and should be the last stable branch of Godot
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3.x. It will be a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, which we plan to support for
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as long as users still need it (due to missing features in Godot 4.x, or
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having published games which they need to keep updating for platform
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requirements).
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