Keychain Core Release Support Schedule
Each major release line of the Keychain Core components is typically supported for three years after it enters general availability (GA).
| Release Line | Status | GA | Maintenance | EOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Keychain 3.0 |
Planned |
2025/8/1 |
TBD |
TBD |
Keychain 2.4 |
Active |
2021/8/1 |
TBD |
TBD |
Keychain 2.3 |
EOL |
2020/12/20 |
2022/3/1 |
2022/6/1 |
Status
A release is Active from the moment it is released until its scheduled End of Life. During this period the line receives new releases based on whether it is in the GA or Maintenance phase of its life cycle as defined below.
A release is EOL when it has passed the End of Life date. After this point there are no further releases and Keychain does not provide standard support. A client may opt to purchase an Extended Support contract, which grants them support on the latest minor+patch version of the EOL line. Security fixes shall be applied to that tip, resulting in new HOTFIX patch releases which the client is able to take.
|
The client must be on the latest minor and patch version to take advantage of Extended Support. Support is contingent upon the client using the latest version of the EOL line first. The client does not have to continue to take new HOTFIX patch releases beyond this initial tip. This decision is left up to the client. However note that all HOTFIX patch releases will build on each other linearly; Keychain will not fork or cherry pick patches. This allows us to ensure high quality support for our clients by focusing energy on a single, well-tested path. |
A release may be marked Planned to indicate for users that an upcoming minor or major release is slotted within the next 3-6 months. We do this to allow users to prepare for taking advantage of new features and ask questions early.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of a Keychain release encompasses 2 non-overlapping phases and is punctuated by the End of Life (EOL) event described above.
General Availability (GA)
When a release line is first launched as X.0.0, we say "Version X has entered GA". This means it is subject to minor and patch releases that both add features and fix bugs.
Maintenance
The Maintenance phase begins 30 days after the next major release line goes GA. At this point the major and minor versions are fixed and only patch releases are made for bug and security fixes. If the current release is 3.1.4 when the line enters Maintenance, we might expect to see 3.1.5 and 3.1.6 patches, but never 3.2.0.
A line goes into Maintenance phase 30 days after the GA of its successor line. In the above example, the release of 4.0.0 on 2024-01-01 would cause the 3.x.x line to move to Maintenance on 2024-02-01. During that month, 3.x.x may still have minor releases (e.g. 3.0.9 → 3.1.0) in addition to patch releases.