Interface stability

Interfaces labeled as Evolving in the documentation may change without warning. In addition, the following rules apply:

All Java APIs are Evolving, except com.* packages, which are Internal/Undocumented.
Interfaces that aren’t described in released product documentation should be considered Internal/Undocumented.
Also refer to the Deprecated and Removed features.

Product release levels

Ping Identity defines Major, Minor, Maintenance, and Patch product release levels. The version number reflects release level. The release level tells you what sort of compatibility changes to expect.

Release level definitions
Release Label	Version Numbers	Characteristics
Major	Version: x[.0.0] (trailing 0s are optional)	Bring major new features, minor features, and bug fixes. Can include changes even to Stable interfaces. Can remove previously Deprecated functionality, and in rare cases remove Evolving functionality that has not been explicitly Deprecated. Include changes present in previous Minor and Maintenance releases.
Minor	Version: x.y[.0] (trailing 0s are optional)	Bring minor features, and bug fixes. Can include backwards-compatible changes to Stable interfaces in the same Major release, and incompatible changes to Evolving interfaces. Can remove previously Deprecated functionality. Include changes present in previous Minor and Maintenance releases.
Maintenance, Patch	Version: x.y.z[.p] The optional p reflects a Patch version.	Bring bug fixes Are intended to be fully compatible with previous versions from the same Minor release.

Product stability labels

Ping Identity Platform software supports many features, protocols, APIs, GUIs, and command-line interfaces. Some of these are standard and very stable. Others offer new functionality that is continuing to evolve.

Ping Identity acknowledges that you invest in these features and interfaces, and therefore must know when and how Ping Identity expects them to change. For that reason, Ping Identity defines stability labels and uses these definitions in Ping Identity Platform products.

Stability label definitions
Stability Label	Definition
Stable	This documented feature or interface is expected to undergo backwards-compatible changes only for major releases. Changes may be announced at least one minor release before they take effect.
Evolving	This documented feature or interface is continuing to evolve and so is expected to change, potentially in backwards-incompatible ways even in a minor release. Changes are documented at the time of product release. While new protocols and APIs are still in the process of standardization, they are Evolving. This applies for example to recent Internet-Draft implementations, and also to newly developed functionality.
Legacy	This feature or interface has been replaced with an improved version, and is no longer receiving development effort from Ping Identity. You should migrate to the newer version, however the existing functionality will remain. Legacy features or interfaces will be marked as Deprecated if they are scheduled to be removed from the product.
Deprecated	This feature or interface is deprecated, and likely to be removed in a future release. For previously stable features or interfaces, the change was likely announced in a previous release. Deprecated features or interfaces will be removed from Ping Identity products.
Removed	This feature or interface was deprecated in a previous release, and has now been removed from the product.
Technology Preview	Technology previews provide access to new features that are considered as new technology that is not yet supported. Technology preview features may be functionally incomplete, and the function as implemented is subject to change without notice. DO NOT DEPLOY A TECHNOLOGY PREVIEW INTO A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT. Customers are encouraged to test drive the technology preview features in a non-production environment, and are welcome to make comments and suggestions about the features in the associated forums. Ping Identity does not guarantee that a technology preview feature will be present in future releases, the final complete version of the feature is liable to change between preview and the final version. Once a technology preview moves into the completed version, said feature will become part of Ping Identity Platform. Technology previews are provided on an “AS-IS” basis for evaluation purposes only, and Ping Identity accepts no liability or obligations for the use thereof.
Internal/Undocumented	Internal and undocumented features or interfaces can change without notice. If you depend on one of these features or interfaces, contact support to discuss your needs.