debian-mirror-gitlab/doc/development/deprecation_guidelines/index.md
2022-04-04 11:22:00 +05:30

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group: unassigned
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---
# Deprecation guidelines
This page includes information about how and when to remove or make [breaking
changes](../contributing/index.md#breaking-changes) to GitLab features.
## Terminology
It's important to understand the difference between **deprecation** and
**removal**:
**Deprecation** is the process of flagging/marking/announcing that a feature is no longer fully supported and may be removed in a future version of GitLab.
**Removal** is the process of actually removing a feature that was previously
deprecated.
## When can a feature be deprecated?
A feature can be deprecated at any time, provided there is a viable alternative.
Deprecations should be announced on the [Deprecated feature removal schedule](../../update/deprecations.md).
For steps to create a deprecation entry, see [Deprecations](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#deprecations).
## When can a feature be removed/changed?
Generally, feature or configuration can be removed/changed only on major release.
It also should be [deprecated in advance](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#deprecations).
For API removals, see the [GraphQL](../../api/graphql/index.md#deprecation-and-removal-process) and [GitLab API](../../api/index.md#compatibility-guidelines) guidelines.
For configuration removals, see the [Omnibus deprecation policy](../../administration/package_information/deprecation_policy.md).
For versioning and upgrade details, see our [Release and Maintenance policy](../../policy/maintenance.md).