JS SDK Release & Support Policy

[Ryang-21]

Proposal: JS SDK Release & Support Policy

We're introducing a formal release and support policy for @stellar/stellar-sdk and want ecosystem feedback before we finalize it. The full draft is here: RELEASE_POLICY.md

Why now

Until now, protocol upgrades and SDK breaking changes have been coupled — a new protocol version often meant a new SDK major, whether or not the SDK's API actually changed. That forced upgrades on a schedule set by the network rather than by what the code needed. v17 is the first release under the new model, and we want the rules written down so everyone can plan against them.

What the policy does

Protocol support no longer requires a major bump. Non-breaking protocol changes (new XDR, new RPC methods, parsing fixes) ship as minor or patch releases on every supported line. Major versions are reserved for actual breaking changes to the SDK API, minimum runtime, or distribution format.

Every release line has a published status. There is one Active line (all development) and a Maintenance line (protocol support and security fixes only). When a new major ships, the previous major moves to Maintenance and its end-of-support date is published at the same time. That date can be extended but will never be shortened.

Maintenance windows are sized to the migration. Rather than a fixed duration, the window is set per major based on how large the breaking changes are. A major that only raises the Node floor gets a shorter window than one that reworks core APIs.

Deprecations get a full major of runway. An API deprecated in N.x won't be removed before N+2.0.0, with the replacement documented at deprecation time.

Runtime requirements are fixed within a major. The minimum Node.js version is set at .0.0 and doesn't move until the next major.

Current state

Version	Status	Support ends
17.x	Active	—
16.x	Maintenance	2027-03-31
≤ 15.x	End of Life	—

Where we'd like input

• Does the case-by-case maintenance window give you enough to plan against, or would you prefer a fixed minimum?
• Is a full major version enough notice for deprecations, or too much?
• Is there anything you rely on from older lines that this policy doesn't account for?
• Anything unclear or missing?

We'll leave this open for a week, then merge the policy with any changes that come out of the discussion. Thanks for helping shape this.