Versioning and API Stability

Versioning

There are 3 numbers in a Scrapy version: A.B.C

• A is the major version. This will rarely change and will signify very large changes.
• B is the release number. This will include many changes including features and things that possibly break backward compatibility, although we strive to keep theses cases at a minimum.
• C is the bugfix release number.

For example:

• Upgrading from 1.0.0 to 1.0.1 will not require code changes unless deemed necessary; for example, for security reasons.
• Upgrading from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0 may require code changes.
• Upgrading from 1.0.0 to 2.0.0 will require code changes.

Backward-incompatibilities are explicitly mentioned in the release notes and in the deprecation list, and may require special attention before upgrading.

API Stability

Names that start with a single dash (_) are private and you should never rely on them being stable. They may be changed or removed in any version, even in bugfix releases, and this will not be covered in the release notes or in the deprecation list.

Also, keep in mind that stable doesn’t mean complete: stable APIs could grow new methods or functionality but the existing methods should keep working the same way.