Updated in May 2021
Standardisation and versioning strategy remain the two biggest challenges in the API industry. While API versions reflect a living product, versioning should be controlled to allow customers sufficient time to transition from one version to another, while ensuring the product stays up-to-date. This is the reason why the gpi API release policy and versioning strategy respect a consistent and comprehensive policy.
The gpi Tracker follows a monthly minor release cycle (including changes on services for early adopters or in pilot and bug fixes) and a major release cycle every year in November, fully aligned with the Standards Release. gpi APIs follow the same release cycle and the November gpi API release is supporting the latest Tracker functional enhancements. The second last version is supported and provides backward compatibility to the latest Tracker updates, however does not expose the latest enhancements.
New versions are increased by one major version number and the API version number is reflected in the URL of the API. SWIFT always supports two consecutive gpi API versions and keeps the older API version in maintenance mode for 6 months, allowing customer upgrade to one of the two supported versions.
The table below shows which versions will be available on a 12 months release cycle, starting in November each year (November is aligned with the Standards Release date that year).
| API release cycle per year | Current year N | Year N+1 | Year N+2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New release (supported) | Version X | Version X+1 | Version X+2 |
| Second last release (supported until November) | Version X-1 | Version X | Version X+1 |
| Third last (6 months maintenance from November until April). End of Support and decommissioning the last week-end of April | Version X-2 | Version X-1 | Version X |
Maintenance: SWIFT does not deliver any bug fix between November of year N+1 and 30 April of year N+2.
Example: gpi API version X is launched in November year N, is supported for 2 full years (year N and N+1) and goes into maintenance before decommissioning until end April of the year N+2.
Every year SWIFT will publish the next API version specifications and rulebook along the following schedule.
| First draft for review Swaggerhub | Final API + Sandbox SWIFT Developer Portal | Pilot | Live |
|---|---|---|---|
| April - May | May - June | July | November |
Moving forward, to provide customers more time to review and analyse the specifications, SWIFT will publish the API specifications earlier during Q1 while keeping to the consistent release cycles.