API Versioning Strategies

Calendar February 22, 2026
Microservices
Intermediate
Api-Version-Strategy-Selection, Api-Lifecycle-Management, Backward-Compatible-Api-Design
Api-Versioning, Api-Design, Rest, Deprecation, Backward-Compatibility
Openapi, Api-Gateway, Kong, Nginx

API Versioning Strategies#

APIs change. Fields get added, endpoints get restructured, response formats evolve. The question is not whether to version your API, but how. A versioning strategy determines how clients discover and select API versions, how you communicate changes, and how you eventually retire old versions.

Breaking vs Non-Breaking Changes#

Before picking a versioning strategy, you need a clear definition of what constitutes a breaking change. This determines when you need a new version versus when you can evolve the existing one.