API Versioning Should Be Your Last Resort

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Most teams reach for API versioning too quickly, treating it as a design strategy rather than a last resort. The post argues that most API changes can be handled through contract evolution: adding fields instead of replacing them, making clients tolerant of unknown properties, never silently changing operation behavior, and keeping new request fields optional. A structured deprecation process using OpenAPI markers, HTTP Sunset/Deprecation headers, and usage telemetry is presented as the missing half of change management. Versioning is only recommended when old and new semantics genuinely cannot coexist, and even then it should be paired with a real migration and deprecation plan.

#architecture

#rest-api

#aspnetcore

May 08•11m read time•From milanjovanovic.tech

Table of contents

What Actually Breaks Clients?The Compatibility Rules 1. Add, Don't Replace 2. Make Clients Tolerant Readers 3. Don't Change What an Existing Operation Does 4. Be Very Careful With Validation A New Operation Is Often Cheaper Than a New Version Deprecate Like You Mean It When Versioning Is Actually The Right Call Takeaway