2021-04-06 14:07:36 +02:00
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Deprecation Policy for Platform Dependencies
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============================================
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2022-09-07 14:07:42 +02:00
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Synapse has a number of platform dependencies, including Python, Rust,
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PostgreSQL and SQLite. This document outlines the policy towards which versions
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we support, and when we drop support for versions in the future.
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2021-04-06 14:07:36 +02:00
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Policy
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------
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Synapse follows the upstream support life cycles for Python and PostgreSQL,
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i.e. when a version reaches End of Life Synapse will withdraw support for that
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version in future releases.
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Details on the upstream support life cycles for Python and PostgreSQL are
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2021-12-21 13:06:31 +01:00
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documented at [https://endoflife.date/python](https://endoflife.date/python) and
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[https://endoflife.date/postgresql](https://endoflife.date/postgresql).
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2021-04-06 14:07:36 +02:00
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2022-09-06 20:01:37 +02:00
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A Rust compiler is required to build Synapse from source. For any given release
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the minimum required version may be bumped up to a recent Rust version, and so
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people building from source should ensure they can fetch recent versions of Rust
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(e.g. by using [rustup](https://rustup.rs/)).
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2022-09-07 14:07:42 +02:00
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The oldest supported version of SQLite is the version
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[provided](https://packages.debian.org/buster/libsqlite3-0) by
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[Debian oldstable](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianOldStable).
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2022-09-06 20:01:37 +02:00
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2021-04-06 14:07:36 +02:00
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Context
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-------
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It is important for system admins to have a clear understanding of the platform
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requirements of Synapse and its deprecation policies so that they can
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effectively plan upgrading their infrastructure ahead of time. This is
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especially important in contexts where upgrading the infrastructure requires
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auditing and approval from a security team, or where otherwise upgrading is a
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long process.
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By following the upstream support life cycles Synapse can ensure that its
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dependencies continue to get security patches, while not requiring system admins
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to constantly update their platform dependencies to the latest versions.
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2022-09-06 20:01:37 +02:00
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For Rust, the situation is a bit different given that a) the Rust foundation
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does not generally support older Rust versions, and b) the library ecosystem
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generally bump their minimum support Rust versions frequently. In general, the
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Synapse team will try to avoid updating the dependency on Rust to the absolute
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latest version, but introducing a formal policy is hard given the constraints of
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the ecosystem.
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2022-09-07 14:07:42 +02:00
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On a similar note, SQLite does not generally have a concept of "supported
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release"; bugfixes are published for the latest minor release only. We chose to
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track Debian's oldstable as this is relatively conservative, predictably updated
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and is consistent with the `.deb` packages released by Matrix.org.
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