Piece Versioning - Activepieces

Overview

Activepieces pieces follow Semantic Versioning (SemVer) to ensure compatibility and manage breaking changes. All pieces are versioned independently and published to npmjs.com.

Semantic Versioning

Version format: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 1.2.3)

Major (1.x.x)

Breaking changes that require user action

Minor (x.2.x)

New features, backward compatible

Patch (x.x.3)

Bug fixes, backward compatible

Version Examples

Patch Update
Minor Update
Major Update

0.0.1 → 0.0.2Bug fixes and minor improvements:

Fix error message typo
Improve error handling
Update documentation
Fix edge case bug

package.json

{
  "name": "@activepieces/piece-slack",
  "version": "0.0.2"
}

0.1.0 → 0.2.0New features without breaking existing functionality:

Add new action
Add new trigger
Add optional property
Add new authentication method

package.json

{
  "name": "@activepieces/piece-slack",
  "version": "0.2.0"
}

1.0.0 → 2.0.0Breaking changes:

Remove action or trigger
Change required properties
Change output format
Change authentication method
Rename action/trigger

package.json

{
  "name": "@activepieces/piece-slack",
  "version": "2.0.0"
}

What Constitutes a Breaking Change?

Breaking Changes

Changes that break existing flows:

Removing actions, triggers, or properties
Renaming actions, triggers, or properties
Making optional property required
Changing property type (e.g., string to number)
Changing output structure that breaks downstream steps
Removing authentication method
Changing API behavior significantly

// Breaking: Removing property
props: {
  channel: Property.ShortText({ required: true }),
  // message property removed - BREAKING
}

// Breaking: Making property required
props: {
  channel: Property.ShortText({ 
    required: true  // Was false - BREAKING
  }),
}

// Breaking: Changing output format
return {
  id: response.id,
  // removed 'name' field - BREAKING
};

Non-Breaking Changes

Changes that maintain compatibility:

Adding new actions, triggers, or optional properties
Adding fields to output (but not removing)
Making required property optional
Improving error messages
Adding default values
Performance improvements
Bug fixes

// Non-breaking: Adding optional property
props: {
  channel: Property.ShortText({ required: true }),
  threadTs: Property.ShortText({ 
    required: false  // New optional property - OK
  }),
}

// Non-breaking: Adding output field
return {
  id: response.id,
  name: response.name,
  createdAt: response.created_at,  // New field - OK
};

// Non-breaking: Making property optional
props: {
  channel: Property.ShortText({ 
    required: false  // Was true - OK
  }),
}

Version Lifecycle

Initial Release

Start with version 0.0.1:

package.json

{
  "name": "@activepieces/piece-my-service",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "description": "Integration with My Service"
}

Development Phase (0.x.x)

During initial development:

Major version stays at 0
Minor bumps for new features
Patch bumps for bug fixes
Breaking changes allowed in minor versions

0.1 → Initial release
0.2 → Bug fix
1.0 → Add new action
2.0 → Breaking change (allowed in 0.x)
2.1 → Bug fix

Stable Release (1.0.0+)

Once stable, release 1.0.0:

package.json

{
  "name": "@activepieces/piece-my-service",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

From this point:

Major version for breaking changes
Minor version for new features
Patch version for bug fixes

Managing Breaking Changes

Migration Path

When making breaking changes:

Deprecate Old Version

Mark the old version as deprecated:

export const oldAction = createAction({
  name: 'old_action',
  displayName: 'Old Action (Deprecated)',
  description: 'DEPRECATED: Use new_action instead. This will be removed in v2.0.0',
  // Implementation
});

Add New Version

Create the new version alongside:

export const newAction = createAction({
  name: 'new_action',
  displayName: 'New Action',
  description: 'Improved version with better features',
  // New implementation
});

Document Migration

MIGRATION.md

# Migration Guide: v1 to v2

## Breaking Changes

### Action: Send Message

**What changed:**
- Property `channel_id` renamed to `channel`
- Property `text` is now required
- Output now includes `timestamp` field

**Before (v1):**
```typescript
{
  channel_id: 'C1234567890',
  text: 'Hello'
}

After (v2):

{
  channel: 'C1234567890',  // Renamed
  text: 'Hello'             // Now required
}

</Step>

<Step title="Bump Major Version">
```json package.json
{
  "version": "2.0.0"  // Was 1.x.x
}

Backward Compatibility

Maintain compatibility when possible:

export const sendMessage = createAction({
  name: 'send_message',
  displayName: 'Send Message',
  props: {
    // New property name
    channel: Property.ShortText({
      displayName: 'Channel',
      required: true,
    }),
    // Old property name (deprecated)
    channel_id: Property.ShortText({
      displayName: 'Channel ID (Deprecated)',
      description: 'Use "channel" instead',
      required: false,
    }),
    text: Property.LongText({
      displayName: 'Message',
      required: true,
    }),
  },
  
  async run(context) {
    // Support both old and new property names
    const channel = context.propsValue.channel || context.propsValue.channel_id;
    
    if (!channel) {
      throw new Error('Channel is required');
    }
    
    // Log deprecation warning
    if (context.propsValue.channel_id) {
      console.warn('channel_id is deprecated, use channel instead');
    }
    
    // Implementation
  },
});

Publishing Pieces

Community Pieces

Community pieces are published automatically when your PR is merged:

Update Version

package.json

{
  "version": "0.1.0"  // Increment appropriately
}

Update Changelog

CHANGELOG.md

# Changelog

## [0.1.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added
- New "Update Message" action
- Support for message threading

### Fixed
- Error handling in send message action

### Changed
- Improved channel selector performance

Create Pull Request

Submit PR with version bump and changelog

Automatic Publication

Once merged:

CI/CD builds the piece
Runs tests
Publishes to npmjs.com
Available in next release

Private Pieces

Publish to your private registry:

# Build piece
npm run build-piece -- --name my-piece

# Navigate to dist
cd dist/

# Publish
npm publish --registry https://npm.company.com

Version Constraints

Minimum Supported Release

Specify minimum Activepieces version:

export const myPiece = createPiece({
  displayName: 'My Piece',
  minimumSupportedRelease: '0.30.0',  // Requires AP >= 0.30.0
  // ...
});

Maximum Supported Release

Optionally set maximum version (for deprecation):

export const myPiece = createPiece({
  displayName: 'My Piece',
  minimumSupportedRelease: '0.30.0',
  maximumSupportedRelease: '0.50.0',  // Not supported after 0.50.0
  // ...
});

Changelog Best Practices

Maintain a clear changelog:

CHANGELOG.md

# Changelog

All notable changes to this piece will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added
- New feature in development

## [1.2.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added
- New "Delete Message" action
- Support for message reactions
- Dynamic channel dropdown

### Changed
- Improved error messages
- Updated dependencies

### Fixed
- Fixed issue with long messages being truncated
- Fixed authentication refresh logic

## [1.1.0] - 2024-01-01

### Added
- New "Get Channel History" action

### Fixed
- Fixed webhook verification

## [1.0.0] - 2023-12-15

### Added
- Initial stable release
- Send message action
- New message trigger
- OAuth2 authentication

### Changed
- **BREAKING**: Renamed `channel_id` to `channel`
- **BREAKING**: Made `text` property required

### Removed
- **BREAKING**: Removed deprecated `send_dm` action

Version Comparison

Check version compatibility:

import * as semver from 'semver';

// Check if piece supports platform version
const pieceMinVersion = '0.30.0';
const platformVersion = '0.32.5';

if (semver.gte(platformVersion, pieceMinVersion)) {
  console.log('Piece is compatible');
} else {
  console.log('Platform version too old');
}

// Check if version has breaking changes
const oldVersion = '1.2.3';
const newVersion = '2.0.0';

if (semver.major(newVersion) > semver.major(oldVersion)) {
  console.log('Breaking changes detected');
}

Deprecation Strategy

Marking as Deprecated

export const oldAction = createAction({
  name: 'old_action',
  displayName: 'Old Action',
  description: '⚠️ DEPRECATED: This action will be removed in v3.0.0. Use new_action instead.',
  
  async run(context) {
    // Log deprecation warning
    console.warn(
      'Action "old_action" is deprecated and will be removed in v3.0.0. ' +
      'Please migrate to "new_action".'
    );
    
    // Implementation
  },
});

Deprecation Timeline

Announce deprecation in changelog
Mark feature as deprecated
Wait at least 2 minor versions
Remove in next major version

Example:

v1.5.0 - Mark feature as deprecated
v1.6.0 - Still available (deprecated)
v1.7.0 - Still available (deprecated)
v2.0.0 - Feature removed

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Slack Piece Evolution

v0.0.1 - Initial release with send message
v0.1.0 - Add new message trigger
v0.2.0 - Add file upload action
v0.2.1 - Fix authentication bug
v1.0.0 - Stable release
v1.1.0 - Add reactions support
v1.1.1 - Fix rate limiting
v1.2.0 - Add Block Kit support
v2.0.0 - Breaking: Remove legacy auth, require OAuth2

Example 2: GitHub Piece Evolution

v0.0.1 - Initial release (create issue)
v0.1.0 - Add create PR action
v0.2.0 - Add webhooks for issues
v0.2.1 - Fix issue labels
v1.0.0 - Stable release
v1.1.0 - Add GraphQL support
v1.2.0 - Add GitHub Actions integration
v2.0.0 - Breaking: Require fine-grained tokens

Best Practices

Version Carefully

Start with 0.0.1
Stay in 0.x during development
Release 1.0.0 when stable
Follow SemVer strictly after 1.0.0

Document Changes

Maintain CHANGELOG.md
Document breaking changes
Provide migration guides
Update README

Communicate Deprecations

Announce in advance
Provide alternatives
Give sufficient warning period
Show warnings in logs

Test Thoroughly

Test all version upgrades
Verify backward compatibility
Test migration paths
Run integration tests

Next Steps

Contribute

Submit your piece to the community

Testing

Write comprehensive tests

​Overview

​Semantic Versioning

Major (1.x.x)

Minor (x.2.x)

Patch (x.x.3)

​Version Examples

​What Constitutes a Breaking Change?

​Version Lifecycle

​Initial Release

​Development Phase (0.x.x)

​Stable Release (1.0.0+)

​Managing Breaking Changes

​Migration Path

​Backward Compatibility

​Publishing Pieces

​Community Pieces

​Private Pieces

​Version Constraints

​Minimum Supported Release

​Maximum Supported Release

​Changelog Best Practices

​Version Comparison

​Deprecation Strategy

​Marking as Deprecated

​Deprecation Timeline

​Real-World Examples

​Example 1: Slack Piece Evolution

​Example 2: GitHub Piece Evolution

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Contribute

Testing

Overview

Semantic Versioning

Version Examples

What Constitutes a Breaking Change?

Version Lifecycle

Initial Release

Development Phase (0.x.x)

Stable Release (1.0.0+)

Managing Breaking Changes

Migration Path

Backward Compatibility

Publishing Pieces

Community Pieces

Private Pieces

Version Constraints

Minimum Supported Release

Maximum Supported Release

Changelog Best Practices

Version Comparison

Deprecation Strategy

Marking as Deprecated

Deprecation Timeline

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Slack Piece Evolution

Example 2: GitHub Piece Evolution

Best Practices

Next Steps