Apollo release lifecycle

Open source release stages

Apollo open source project releases proceed through the following stages:

In production environments, you should only use Apollo open source releases that are in general availability. This is the only release stage that is officially supported by Apollo.

Alpha / Beta

An alpha or beta release is in volatile, active development. The release might not be feature-complete, and breaking API changes are possible between individual versions.

These stages help Apollo gather feedback and issues from community members and customers who are enthusiastic early adopters.

Preview

A preview release is in active development. Previews are usually announced publicly and are a near-complete representation of a final release's feature set. However, they are not officially supported with any SLA, and breaking API changes are possible between versions.

You're encouraged to test out preview releases in safe local and test environments to familiarize yourself with upcoming features before they reach general availability. Do not use a preview release in production.

Release candidate (RC)

A release candidate (RC) release is considered potentially viable for general availability. Minor bugs might still be present, and documentation for the release might be incomplete.

You're encouraged to test out RC releases in a staging environment to help Apollo identify any remaining issues. You should wait until general availability to use a particular release in production.

General availability (GA)

A generally available release has been deemed ready for use in a production environment and is officially supported by Apollo. Its documentation is considered sufficient to support widespread adoption.

Deprecated

A deprecated release (or individual feature) is no longer officially supported by Apollo. It might continue to work, but Apollo does not guarantee that it will continue to work.

You should avoid relying on deprecated releases or features whenever possible.

Cloud release stages

Apollo cloud releases (e.g., features of Apollo Studio) proceed through the following stages:

Note that some releases might skip cetain stages. For example, a release might start with a public preview instead of an opt-in preview.

In production environments, you should rely only on Apollo cloud releases that are in general availability.

Opt-in preview

A feature in opt-in preview is not enabled for Apollo users by default. Depending on the feature, users enable it either from the Apollo Studio UI or by contacting Apollo.

Opt-in previews might be announced via email, in the Apollo Studio UI, and/or on certain pages of the Apollo docs. They help Apollo gather feedback and issues from customers who are enthusiastic early adopters.

Public preview

A feature in public preview is enabled for Apollo users by default. However, it might still contain bugs or undergo iteration on visual design.

This stage helps Apollo gather additional bug reports and feedback in preparation for general availability.

General availability (GA)

A generally available release has been deemed ready for use in a production environment and is officially supported by Apollo. Its documentation is considered sufficient to support widespread adoption.

Deprecated

A deprecated feature is no longer officially supported by Apollo. It might continue to work, but Apollo does not guarantee that it will continue to work.

You should avoid relying on deprecated features whenever possible.