Release Policy
Rucio follows a release policy, based on semantic versioning, with major (named) releases. Approximately every 4 months we produce a major release with a version number like x.0.0 (with x > 0). A major release marks the start of a release line. This release line is maintained with minor/patch releases published every two weeks, containing bug fixes or minor enhancements, with version numbers like 40.y.z (with y ≥ 0, z ≥ 0). Versions within one release line are always backwards compatible, thus they do not include database schema changes, API modifications, or other backward-compatibility breaking changes.
Previous to the 32 release line, Rucio used a different versioning theme.
Support period
A release line is only maintained with patch releases until the start of the next release line, thus approximately 4 months. Typically once a year we will designate a release line a Long-term Support (LTS) release line. This release line will be supported with security and critical patches for approximately two years. It is foreseen to have an overlap of at least 12 months between two LTS release lines, to give communities a comfortable time window to deploy the new LTS release.
Client ↔ Server compatibility
For differences between the versions of a Rucio client and a Rucio server we guarantee compatibility between a server and an older client up until the second LTS release line preceding the server.
For example, a 40 Rucio server guarantees client support until the second LTS release line preceding its version, thus the 35 LTS release line. Therefore it guarantees support of clients of the 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40 release lines.
A 33 Rucio server guarantees client support of the 1.29, 1.30, 1.31, 32, and 33 release lines, while a 32 server guarantees support of the 1.26, 1.27, 1.28, 1.29, 1.30, 1.31, and 32 release lines.
Older clients will most likely work without problems as well; however, the release policy does not guarantee it.
Please be aware that we can not guarantee compatibility of a newer client with an older server.
| Version | Code name | Release date | Supported until |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | How to Train Your Donkey | 2026-11 | 2027-03 |
| 41 LTS | Donkémon | 2026-07 | at least 2028-07 |
| 40 | Guardians of the Donkeyverse | 2026-04 | 2026-07 |
| 39 | Grand Theft Donkey | 2025-12 | 2026-04 |
| 38 LTS | Donkirk | 2025-08 | at least 2027-08 |
| 37 | Dungeons & Donkeys | 2025-04 | 2025-08 |
| 36 | Donkey Unchained | 2024-12 | 2025-04 |
| 35 LTS | Donkey and the Data Factory | 2024-07 | 2026-08 |
| 34 | Donkey Potter and the Data Cache | 2024-03 | 2024-07 |
| 33 | Eternal Sunshine of the Donkey's Mind | 2023-12 | 2024-03 |
| 32 LTS | The Good, The Bad and the Donkey | 2023-08 | 2025-08 |
| 1.31 | Donkeys of the Caribbean | 2023-03 | 2023-07 |
| 1.30 | The Donkeynator | 2022-11 | 2023-03 |
| 1.29 LTS | Into the Donkeyverse | 2022-07 | 2024-08 |
| 1.28 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Donkeys | 2022-03 | 2022-07 |
| 1.27 | Batdonkey v Superdonkey | 2021-11 | 2022-03 |
| 1.26 LTS | Donkey League of La Mancha | 2021-07 | 2023-07 |
| 1.25 | Rat-Donkey | 2021-02 | 2021-07 |
| 1.24 | Aquadonkey | 2020-11 | 2021-02 |
| 1.23 LTS | The incredible Donkey | 2020-07 | 2022-07 |
| 1.22 | Green Donkey | 2020-02 | 2020-06 |
| 1.21 | Donkeys of the Galaxy | 2019-11 | 2020-02 |
| 1.20 LTS | Wonder Donkey | 2019-06 | 2021-07 |
| 1.19 | Fantastic Donkeys | 2019-02 | 2019-06 |
| 1.18 | Invisible Donkey | 2018-09 | 2019-02 |
| 1.17 | Donkey Surfer | 2018-06 | 2018-09 |
| 1.16 | Doctor Donkey | 2018-04 | 2018-06 |
| 1.15 | Daredonkey | 2018-02 | 2018-04 |
| 1.14 | Professor D | 2017-11 | 2018-02 |
| 1.13 | Donkerine | 2017-09 | 2017-11 |
| 1.12 | Captain Donkey | 2017-07 | 2017-09 |
| 1.11 | Batdonkey | 2017-05 | 2017-07 |
| 1.10 | Irondonkey | 2017-02 | 2017-05 |
| 1.9 | Superdonkey | 2016-10 | 2017-02 |
| 1.8 | Spiderdonkey | 2016-09 | 2016-10 |
| 1.7 | Donkey One | 2016-08 | 2016-09 |
| 1.6 | The Donkey awakens | 2016-05 | 2016-08 |
| 1.5 | Return of the Donkey | 2016-04 | 2016-05 |
| 1.4 | The Donkey strikes back | 2016-02 | 2016-04 |
| 1.3 | 2016-01 | 2016-02 | |
| 1.2 | 2015-10 | 2016-01 | |
| 1.1 | 2015-08 | 2016-10 | |
| 1.0 | 2015-07 | 2015-08 | |
| (0.3) | 2015-03 | 2015-07 | |
| (0.2) | 2014-10 | 2015-03 | |
| (0.1.7) | 2014-01 | 2014-10 |
Release policy for secondary Rucio packages
Next to the server and client the Rucio project provides several other, secondary, software packages. Namely the Rucio WebUI, the Rucio Jupyterlab extension, and the Rucio helm charts.
The versioning of these software packages is closely aligned with the versioning of the Rucio server. The major version of the package matches that of the Rucio server it is compatible with. For example, Rucio WebUI version 40.x.y is compatible with any server of the version 40..
The minor and patch versions of these secondary software packages are however independent from the minor and patch versions of the server. They do as well follow semantic versioning.
Support period
The support period policy is the same as the support period policy stated above. Thus, once a year a release line is designated a Long-term Support (LTS) release line, which will be supported with critical and security patches for two years.
WebUI Note: Although Rucio 35 is an LTS release, the corresponding WebUI release 35 is not designated as LTS. This is due to significant changes in the WebUI project architecture and lack of feature completeness at that time. Release 38 marks the first stable, feature-complete WebUI LTS release.
Jupyterlab Extension Note: The Rucio Jupyerlab Extension started to follow the LTS support period with the 40 Rucio release. Thus at the moment, there is no LTS support given for the Jupyerlab Extension. The first Jupyerlab Extension release covered by the LTS support period will be the 41 release.