Versioning and support policy
Supported versions
| Version | Status | Latest release | First release | End-of-life | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.x |
Active |
3.2.0 |
2024-09-12 |
||
2.x |
End-of-life |
2.0.17 |
2020-09-06 |
2024-09-12 |
Last release to support net20 and net45 |
Versioning policy
Apache log4net follows semantic versioning, with release numbers of the form:
<major>.<minor>.<patch>[-<pre-release>]where:
- <major>
-
The major version number is incremented when breaking changes are introduced.
Upgrading to a new major version typically requires code changes in your application. For each new major release, a migration guide will be provided.
- <minor>
-
The minor version number is incremented when new features are added in a backward-compatible manner, such as:
-
New methods or classes added to the public API of one of the components.
-
New configuration attributes added to appenders, layouts, filters, etc.
-
Functionality or methods/classes being deprecated.
-
Behavioral changes introduced without breaking the public API.
Upgrading to a new minor version usually does not require code changes, unless you rely on undocumented behavior that has changed. To avoid accumulating such changes, we recommend upgrading minor versions regularly.
When upgrading to a new minor version, review the corresponding Release notes: behavioral changes are highlighted in the release description and listed in the “Changed” section.
-
- <patch>
-
The patch version number is incremented when only backward-compatible bug fixes are introduced.
Upgrading to a new patch release is the simplest upgrade path.
The classification of a behavioral change as a minor or patch release may vary by interpretation: what is considered a bug by one user may be viewed as a feature by another.
Version lifecycle and maintenance policy
Minor releases of Apache log4net follow a defined lifecycle consisting of three phases:
- Active development
-
The version is under active development and may introduce new features. Preview builds may be published during this phase; vulnerability reports are accepted and will be addressed.
Versions in this phase are not recommended for production use.
- Active maintenance
-
The version is considered stable and suitable for production. Vulnerability reports are accepted and will be addressed.
Due to the limited resources of the Apache log4net project, only the latest minor release of the latest major version remains in Active.
- End-of-life (EOL)
-
The version is no longer maintained, and vulnerability reports are not accepted.
We will notice the end of support for a version when the first preview for a new major version is published.
Maintenance phase New features Security/bug fixes Security advisories Active development
Yes
Yes
Yes
Active maintenance
Yes
Yes
Yes
End-of-life (EOL)
No
No
No
|
We avoid using the term support to describe the maintenance phases, because support remains available in all phases:
|