This article discusses the importance of versioning in managing web APIs and the challenges associated with maintaining backward compatibility. It highlights the need for versioning to handle software changes over time and the delicate balance between providing new functionality and avoiding disruptions for API users. The focus is on web APIs, which present unique challenges due to the network divide between clients and servers.

The concept of backward compatibility is explored in depth, emphasizing the complexities involved in determining changes that won’t require effort on the client’s side. The article discusses three versioning strategies: perpetual stability, agile instability, and semantic versioning (SemVer). Perpetual stability aims to avoid breaking changes at all costs, while agile instability embraces the idea that everything might break. Semantic versioning strikes a balance by categorizing changes into major, minor, and patch versions.

In conclusion, the article emphasizes the complexity of versioning and compatibility in web APIs and urges API designers to consider their user base and the desired balance between stability and adopting new features. The three strategies provided cater to different use cases and user expectations, empowering API designers to make informed decisions based on their API’s unique context and user needs.