The Release Cycle¶
This document explains the release cycle of the Sylius project (i.e. the
code & documentation hosted on the main Sylius/Sylius repository).
Sylius follows the Semantic Versioning strategy:
- A new Sylius patch version (e.g. 1.0.1, 1.0.2, etc.) comes out usually once a month, depending on the number of bug fixes developed
- A new Sylius minor version (e.g. 1.1, 1.2, etc.) is released depending on various factors (see below), usually once a few months
New Sylius minor releases will drop unsupported PHP versions.
Scope-based vs time-based¶
Sylius release cycle is not strictly time-based (contrary to the Symfony release cycle). Based on the experience from over 10 minor versions, we decided that time is not the only reason on which we should rely when planning the new Sylius’ version. Therefore, each new minor release of Sylius takes in consideration:
- what we would like to include in it (features, improvements, fixes)
- when we would like to release it (based on the Team capacity, estimated amount of work and experience from previous minor releases development)
Note
The natural consequence of such a decision is uncertainty regarding the exact time of the next minor version release. We try to estimate it as precisely as possible, but sometimes delays cannot be avoided. We believe that releasing a good product is more important than releasing it fast 🤖
Development¶
The full development period for any minor version is divided into two phases:
- Development: First 5/6 of the time intended for the release to add new features and to enhance existing ones.
- Stabilization: Last 1/6 of the time intended for the release to fix bugs, prepare the release, and wait for the whole Sylius ecosystem (third-party libraries, plugins, and projects using Sylius) to catch up.
During both periods, any new feature can be reverted if it won’t be finished in time or won’t be stable enough to be included in the coming release.
Maintenance¶
Each minor Sylius version is maintained for a fixed period of time after its release. This maintenance is divided into:
- Bug fixes and security fixes: During this period, being eight months long, all issues can be fixed. The end of this period is referenced as being the end of maintenance of a release.
- Security fixes only: During this period, being sixteen months long, only security related issues can be fixed. The end of this period is referenced as being the end of life of a release.
Future release¶
| Version | Development starts | Stabilization starts | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | Sep 15, 2023 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 |
| 1.13 | Oct 31, 2022 | Feb 15, 2024 | Apr 23, 2024 |
Supported versions¶
| Version | Release date | End of maintenance | End of life | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.12 | Oct 31, 2022 | Jun 30, 2024 | Dec 31, 2024 | Fully supported |
Unsupported versions¶
| Version | Release date | End of maintenance | End of life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.11 | Feb 14, 2022 | Jan 31, 2023 | Oct 31, 2023 |
| 1.10 | Jun 29, 2021 | May 14, 2022 | Jan 14, 2023 |
| 1.9 | Mar 1, 2021 | Nov 1, 2021 | Jul 1, 2022 |
| 1.8 | Sep 14, 2020 | May 14, 2021 | Jan 14, 2022 |
| 1.7 | Mar 2, 2020 | Nov 16, 2020 | Jul 16, 2021 |
| 1.6 | Aug 29, 2019 | Apr 29, 2020 | Dec 29, 2020 |
| 1.5 | May 10, 2019 | Jan 10, 2020 | Sep 10, 2020 |
| 1.4 | Feb 4, 2019 | Oct 4, 2019 | Jun 4, 2020 |
| 1.3 | Oct 1, 2018 | Jun 1, 2019 | Feb 1, 2020 |
| 1.2 | Jun 13, 2018 | Feb 13, 2019 | Oct 13, 2019 |
| 1.1 | Feb 12, 2018 | Oct 12, 2018 | Jun 12, 2019 |
| 1.0 | Sep 13, 2017 | May 13, 2018 | Jan 13, 2019 |
Backward Compatibility¶
All Sylius releases have to comply with our Backward Compatibility Promise.
Whenever keeping backward compatibility is not possible, the feature, the enhancement or the bug fix will be scheduled for the next major version.