How deeply does Automating API Delivery cover backward compatibility?

Defines compatibility and demonstrates automated path-removal checks, while treating planned sunsets as a special case.

Backward compatibility

API compatibility is the ability of an API client application and API server to communicate successfully across a change.

An API change is backward compatible when existing clients can keep communicating with the server without changing their code. Consumers can adopt compatible additions at their own pace; incompatible changes force updates or disrupt service. section 4.6

Treat each API version as a promise of continued compatibility. When a change cannot preserve that promise, introduce a new version or coordinate the change with consumers. Balance new features against the cost of maintaining older versions. section 4.6

Check a removed endpoint

Removing GET /v1/catalog/categories breaks existing clients, which may receive a 404. Compare API definitions with oasdiff to identify the removed path. section 4.4

oasdiff breaking api.yaml apiv2.yaml

Run this comparison to check whether an API definition change introduces a breaking change. section 4.4

A planned sunset is a special case: removal after a deprecation period may be handled differently from an unannounced removal. Set expectations for consumers and enforce a breaking-change policy with automated checks. section 4.4 section 4.6

How Automating API Delivery covers it

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API Design PatternsBackward compatibility is the property of a changed software interface remaining usable by previously written clients or consumers.
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Kafka for ArchitectsBackward compatibility is a schema compatibility policy in which consumers using the new schema can read messages produced with the previous schema.
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Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and PatternsThe ability of a system or communication contract to remain usable by existing external clients after internal changes.
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The Design of Web APIs, Second EditionBackward compatibility is the ability of a changed API to continue supporting existing consumers and their prior usage expectations.
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Apache Kafka in ActionBackward compatibility is schema compatibility in which consumers using the current schema can read data written with older schemas.
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Web Components in ActionCompatibility of software with earlier browsers, platforms, or versions of a technology.
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Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofuBackward compatibility is the ability of a newer software version to preserve the behavior and interfaces expected by existing users or dependent code.
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Machine Learning System DesignThe ability of new software or an interface version to support existing code or clients without changes.
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Simple Object-Oriented Design: Create clean, maintainable applicationsBackward compatibility is the ability of a changed software component or interface to continue supporting existing clients and usage patterns.
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Kafka Streams in Action, Second EditionBackward compatibility is the ability of a newer software component or data schema to work with data produced using an older schema or interface.
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Infrastructure as Code, Patterns and Practices: With examples in Python and TerraformBackward compatibility is the property that a newer version continues to support interfaces, behaviors, or configurations expected by existing users or dependents.
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The Art of CodeBackward compatibility is the ability of a changed software component or interface to continue working with existing clients and dependent systems.
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Learn Go with Pocket-Sized ProjectsBackward compatibility is the ability of a newer software version to continue working with existing users, integrations, or client code.
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Practices of the Python ProBackward compatibility is the ability of a newer software version to preserve compatibility with earlier interfaces, data, or behavior.
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Troubleshooting Java, Second EditionBackward compatibility is the ability of a newer consumer or implementation to process data produced according to an older schema.
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Designing Deep Learning Systems: A guide for software engineersThe property of a system or data interface that allows newer changes to remain usable by existing consumers and projects.
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gRPC Microservices in GoBackward compatibility is the ability of a changed system to continue supporting existing users, integrations, or clients without requiring them to upgrade.

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Related concepts

breaking changecontrasts with · A breaking change is a modification to an interface, behavior, format, configuration, or contract that can prevent existing consumers from working correctly without changes.
schema registryused by · A schema registry is a service that stores, versions, and provides schemas for structured data, often validating compatibility between schema versions.
forward compatibilityincludes · Forward compatibility is the ability of older software, interfaces, or schemas to tolerate and interoperate with supported changes introduced by newer versions.
Mapused by · A map is an associative data structure that stores key-value pairs and supports retrieving values by key.
PostgreSQLused by · PostgreSQL is an open-source object-relational database management system that implements SQL and supports transactional data storage and extensibility.

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