139 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
139 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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stage: none
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group: unassigned
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info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
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---
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# Deprecating GitLab features
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This page includes information about how and when to remove or make breaking changes
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to GitLab features.
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## Terminology
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<!--
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If updating these definitions, be sure to update them in the handbook as well:
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https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/gitlab-the-product/#definitions
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-->
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**Deprecation**:
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- Required before ending support for a feature or removing a feature.
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- Feature not recommended for use.
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- Development restricted to Priority 1 / Severity 1 bug fixes.
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- Will be removed in a future major release.
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- Begins after a deprecation announcement outlining an end-of-support or removal date.
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- Ends after the end-of-support date or removal date has passed.
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**End of Support**:
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- Optional step before removal.
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- Feature usage strongly discouraged.
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- No support or fixes provided.
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- No longer tested internally.
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- Will be removed in a future major release.
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- Begins after an end-of-support date has passed.
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[Announcing an End of Support period](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#announcing-an-end-of-support-period)
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should only be used in special circumstances and is not recommended for general use.
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Most features should be deprecated and then removed.
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**Removal**:
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- Feature usage impossible.
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- Feature no longer supported (if End of Support period hasn't already been announced).
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- Happens in a major release in line with our
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[semantic versioning policy](../../policy/maintenance.md).
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- Begins after removal date has passed.
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**Breaking change**:
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A "breaking change" is any change that requires users to make a corresponding change to their code, settings, or workflow. "Users" might be humans, API clients, or even code classes that "use" another class. Examples of breaking changes include:
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- Removing a user-facing feature without a replacement/workaround.
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- Changing the definition of an existing API (by doing things like re-naming query parameters or changing routes).
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- Removing a public method from a code class.
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A breaking change can be considered major if it affects many users, or represents a significant change in behavior.
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## When can a feature be deprecated?
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Deprecations should be announced on the [Deprecated feature removal schedule](../../update/deprecations.md).
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Deprecations should be announced [no later than the third milestone preceding intended removal](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/gitlab-the-product/#process-for-deprecating-and-removing-a-feature).
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Do not include the deprecation announcement in the merge request that introduces a code change for the deprecation.
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Use a separate MR to create a deprecation entry. For steps to create a deprecation entry, see
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[Deprecations](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#deprecations).
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## How are Community Contributions to a deprecated feature handled?
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Development on deprecated features is restricted to Priority 1 / Severity 1 bug fixes. Any community contributions to deprecated features are unlikely to be prioritized during milestone planning.
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However, at GitLab, we [give agency](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#give-agency) to our team members. So, a member of the team associated with the contribution may decide to review and merge it at their discretion.
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## When can a feature be removed/changed?
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Generally, feature or configuration can be removed/changed only on major release.
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It also should be [deprecated in advance](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#deprecations).
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For API removals, see the [GraphQL](../../api/graphql/index.md#deprecation-and-removal-process) and [GitLab API](../documentation/restful_api_styleguide.md#deprecations) guidelines.
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For configuration removals, see the [Omnibus deprecation policy](../../administration/package_information/deprecation_policy.md).
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For versioning and upgrade details, see our [Release and Maintenance policy](../../policy/maintenance.md).
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## Update the deprecations and removals documentation pages
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The [deprecations](../../update/deprecations.md) and [removals](../../update/removals.md)
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documentation is generated from the YAML files located in
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[`gitlab/data/`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/tree/master/data).
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To update the deprecations and removals pages when an entry is added,
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edited, or removed:
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1. From the command line, navigate to your local clone of the [`gitlab-org/gitlab`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) project.
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1. Create, edit, or remove the YAML file under [deprecations](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/tree/master/data/deprecations)
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or [removals](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/tree/master/data/removals).
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1. Compile the deprecation or removals documentation with the appropriate command:
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- For deprecations:
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```shell
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bin/rake gitlab:docs:compile_deprecations
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```
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- For removals:
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```shell
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bin/rake gitlab:docs:compile_removals
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```
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1. If needed, you can verify the docs are up to date with:
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- For deprecations:
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```shell
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bin/rake gitlab:docs:check_deprecations
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```
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- For removals:
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```shell
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bin/rake gitlab:docs:check_removals
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```
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1. Commit the updated documentation and push the changes.
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1. Create a merge request using the [Deprecations](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/.gitlab/merge_request_templates/Deprecations.md)
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or [Removals](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/.gitlab/merge_request_templates/Removals.md) templates.
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Related Handbook pages:
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- <https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#deprecations-removals-and-breaking-changes>
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- <https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/blog/release-posts/#update-the-deprecations-and-removals-docs>
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## Update the related documentation
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When features are deprecated and removed, [update the related documentation](../documentation/versions.md#deprecations-and-removals).
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