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Since my company still focuses on D7, I haven't yet had time nor need to use Drupal 8. I am planing to step into it soon, so I browsed around to read up about it. While clicking through current API pages, I figured that there is a new link for every 8.x release.

Since Drupal 7 ended up with over 40 Releases, do we have to expect the same amount on API versions for Drupal 8? Shouldn't it be one link for all 8.x releases like it was on Drupal 6 and Drupal 7?

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Drupal 8 has a new versioning system, with the following format:

Major.minor.bugfix

Minor versions are expected every 6 months (8.1.0 was recently released), and will contain backwards compatible enhancements and new features, but will remain compatible with code written for earlier releases of the same major version.

So Drupal 8.1.x contains new features and API enhancements, but remains compatible with modules developed for 8.0.x.

This will allow Drupal to be more agile in future, and new features won't be limited to major releases, but compatibility with modules should be maintained.

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  • The OP is asking if api.drupal.org will have a tab for every minor version of Drupal 8. Now there are are links for 8.0.x, 8.1.x, and 8.2.x. At the time there will be a 8.3.x branch, will api.drupal.org have tabs for 8.0.x, 8.1.x, 8.2.x, and 8.3.x?
    – avpaderno ♦
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 13:38
  • True, then yes, there will be tabs for every minor release. My point is that Drupal 8 separates minor releases from bug fixes. However, Drupal 7 was the main version for almost 5 years. If minor releases occur every 6 months for a similar duration, we could be up to Drupal 8.9.x by the time Drupal 9 is released.
    – James Shields
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 13:56
  • Thanks, i wasn't aware of this new type of versioning system. For some reason it makes sense but it most likely will clutter the API website soon.
    – rugar
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 16:48
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    With the release of 8.1.0, 8.0.x is officially unsupported, there will be no more releases. I assume that those minor releases will be removed again from api.drupal.org, which will probably redirect to some other still visible minor version for those links.
    – Berdir
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 16:51
  • That makes sense. It would seem a good idea to keep at least the current minor release, the previous one (for checking changes) and the forthcoming one (for checking future enhancements). More than that and it does start to get cluttered.
    – James Shields
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 16:58

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