Contents
| From: | https://wiki.php.net/rfc/releaseprocess |
|---|---|
| Updated by: | https://wiki.php.net/rfc/release_cycle_update |
This document outlines the release cycles of the PHP language.
Roughly:
- Yearly release cycle
- 4 years release life cycle
- 2 years bug fixes only
- 2 years security fixes only
No feature addition after final x.y.0 release (or x.0.0).
Backward compatibility MUST be respected within the same major release (e.g., 8.x.x). Binary compatibility (API or ABI) MAY be broken between two features releases, f.e. between 8.3 and 8.4.
- x.y.z to x+1.0.0
- Bug fixes
- New features
- Extensions support can be ended (moved to PECL)
- Backward compatibility can be broken
- API compatibility can be broken (internals and userland)
- ABI can be broken (internals)
- x.y.z to x.y+1.z
- Bugfixes
- New features
- Extensions support can be ended (moved to PECL)
- Backward compatibility must be kept
- API compatibility must be kept (userland)
- ABI and API can be broken (internals)
- Source compatibility should be kept if possible, while breakages are allowed
- x.y.z to x.y.z+1
- Bug fixes and security patches only
- Extensions support can't be removed (like move them to PECL)
- Backward compatibility must be kept (internals and userland)
- ABI and API compatibility must be kept (internals)
It is critical to understand the consequences of breaking BC, APIs or ABIs (only internals related). It should not be done for the sake of doing it. RFCs explaining the reasoning behind a breakage and the consequences along with test cases and patch(es) should help.
See the following links for explanation about API and ABI:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_binary_interface
**** pre release phase
++++ release lifetime with all bug fixes, no feature addition
---- release lifetime security fixes only
G GA Release
D EOL
Version Time ->
2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
8.1 |++++++++++-------------------------D
8.2 |+++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------D
8.3 | *****G++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------D
8.4 | | | |****G++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------D
The process starts the first Tuesday of July of each year, and nominally runs for 20 weeks. With 3 alpha releases, 3 beta releases, 4 release candidates, and a GA (x.0.0) release.
Examples are given for 2024 and PHP 8.4. Releases are tagged on the Tuesday of each week, with a release before Thursday 24:00 (UTC).
In the examples, $rd describes the release day of the first alpha release.
| Alpha 1 |
|
|---|---|
| Alpha 2 | $rd + 14 (Jul 18, 2024) |
| Alpha 3 | $rd + 28 (Aug 01, 2024) |
During the alpha releases:
- New features may be added at will, following the normal RFC procedures.
| Beta 1 |
|
|---|---|
| Beta 2 | $rd + 56 (Aug 29, 2024) |
| Beta 3 | $rd + 70 (Sep 12, 2024) |
At feature freeze:
- All features requiring an RFC must have passed by the voting mechanism, and SHOULD be merged prior to feature freeze.
After feature freeze, with blessing of the release managers:
- Merging features that do require an RFC is still allowed.
- Features that do not require an RFC are still allowed.
- Optimisations and internal ABI and API changes are also still allowed.
| Release Candidate 1 |
|
|---|---|
| Release Candidate 2 | $rd + 98 (Oct 10, 2024) |
| Release Candidate 3 | $rd + 112 (Oct 24, 2024) |
| Release Candidate 4 | $rd + 126 (Nov 07, 2024) |
More release candidates MAY be added on a two-week cycle, if necessary.
With the first release candidate:
- Internal API numbers MUST be updated (
PHP_API_VERSION,ZEND_MODULE_API_NO, andZEND_EXTENSION_API_NO). - The release branch (
PHP-8.4) MUST be created.
After the first release candidate:
- There MUST NOT be any API and ABI changes in subsequent RCs.
- There MUST NOT be any new features, small or otherwise, in subsequent RCs.
| x.y.0 (8.4.0) |
|
|---|
The GA release MUST be released from the last Release Candidate tag (RC4 or later). There MUST NOT be any changes between the last Release Candidate tag and the GA tag (with exception to files such as NEWS and other files where the PHP version number must change for the GA release).
After the general availability release:
Until the end of year 2 (e.g., for PHP 8.4: until Dec 31, 2026):
- A new release every 4 weeks, synchronised with other release branches.
- Bug fixes and security fixes.
Until the end of year 3 (e.g., for PHP 8.4: until Dec 31, 2027):
- Security fixes, and fixes to address regressions introduced during a normal bug fix release.
- Updates to ABI incompatible versions of dependent libraries on Windows.
- Release only when there is a security issue or regression issue to address.
- Security fix and regression releases SHOULD occur on the same date as bug fix releases for the other branches. Exceptions can be made for high risk security issues or high profile regressions.
Until the end of year 4 (e.g., for PHP 8.4: until Dec 31, 2028):
- Security fixes only.
- Release only when there is a security issue.
- Security fix releases SHOULD occur on the same date as bug fix releases for the other branches. Exceptions can be made for high risk security issues.
- Updates to ABI incompatible versions of dependent libraries on Windows are not performed.
"End of year" means: The end of the calendar year, i.e., Dec 31 at 24:00 UTC. The numbered years in the examples (e.g., "end of year 2") indicate the number of calendar years following the original planned GA release date. For example, if the planned GA release date for PHP 8.4 is Nov 21, 2024, then "end of year 2" is Dec 31, 2026, 24:00 UTC, even if the actual release date slips to Jan 9, 2025.
RFCs have been introduced many years ago and have been proven as being an amazing way to avoid conflicts while providing a very good way to propose new things to php.net. New features or additions to the core should go through the RFC process. It has been done successfully (as the process went well, but the features were not necessary accepted) already for a dozen of new features or improvements.
Features can use branch(es) if necessary, doing so will minimize the impact of other commits and changes on the development of a specific feature (or the other way 'round). The shorter release cycle also ensures that a given feature can get into the next release, as long as the RFC has been accepted.
The change to what we have now is the voting process. It will not happen anymore on the mailing list but in the RFCs directly, for php.net members, in a public way.
See also the voting RFC.
The question for this section is about who will be allowed to vote:
- php-src (yes, no)
- php-doc (yes, no)
- qa, phpt (yes, no)
- other sub projects like pear (yes, no)
We have voting plugin for dokuwiki (doodle2) that allows voting on the wiki (installed).
The roles of the release managers are about being a facilitator:
- Manage the release process
- Start the decisions discussions and vote about the features and change for a given release
- Create a roadmap and planing according to this RFC
- Package the releases (test and final releases)
- Decide which bug fixes can be applied to a release, within the cases defined in this RFC
But they are not:
- Decide which features, extension or SAPI get in a release or not
Discussions or requests for a feature or to apply a given patch must be done on the public internals mailing list or in the security mailing (ideally using the bug tracker)
About three months prior to the scheduled release of the first alpha release of the next minor or major version (around April 1st or shortly thereafter), the release managers for the latest version branch should issue a call for volunteers to begin the selection process for the next release managers.
The release manager team consists of two or three people, it is notable that at least one of the volunteers should be a "veteran" release manager, meaning they have contributed to at least one PHP release in the past. The other can be an additional veteran or, ideally, someone new to the RM role (to increase number of veteran RMs).
Issue the call for volunteers on internals@lists.php.net on or around March 1st. See, for example: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/113334
There is no rule for how long the call for volunteers must remain open. We should aim to select the release managers by early April, so announcing the call in early March gives people about a month to decide whether they wish to volunteer.
Voting is conducted using "Single Transferrable Vote" (STV).
Using some maths, we'll start with the 1st preference and gradually remove candidates with the fewest votes, transferring votes that had previously gone to them to their voter’s 2nd preference, and so on. Once required number of candidates have a quorum (Droop quota), those will be officially selected as our RMs.
Some features require a lot of testing or users feedback before they can be considered as ready, stable enough, or proven as having made good design decisions. Having them in normal releases is dangerous. The past releases told us more than once that many good ideas ended as being not so good after all. But we had to keep them in and, even worst, maintain them forever.
A feature preview release could solve this problem. A feature(s) preview release gives us and our users a way to try bleeding edge additions to the language or core while providing us with an invaluable feedback to actually valid both the implementation and the design choices.
Non core features (engine, stream, etc.) could benefit from a feature preview release while doing it via PECL should be the preferred way.
Feature(s) preview releases can happen any time and can be platform specific. Whether a specific development branch is used or not is up to the developers of the given features (external repositories like github or bitbucket can obviously be used as well).
- Each security flaw must have a CVE id before the final release.
- Ideally security issues and their fixes are reported and discussed in the
issues tracker
- Needs a 'security' flag in bugs.php.net (implemented, a CVE field has been added as well)
- Methods to reproduce a flaw may remain non public (on a case by case basis)
- Be sure that the security team of each major distributions have access to the security reports, before public release