=============== Version Support

Overview

Presto is maintained by volunteers. This document describes which versions receive support and what level of support to expect.

Support Philosophy

• Data correctness issues are taken extremely seriously and typically fixed quickly
• Runtime bugs and security vulnerabilities are prioritized and addressed promptly
• Support depends on volunteer availability - no formal SLAs
• Users are encouraged to contribute fixes for issues affecting them

.. _current-version-support:

Current Version Support

Latest Release

• Primary focus for bug fixes
• Recommended for new deployments after testing

Past 4 Releases (N-1 through N-4)

• Critical fixes only when:

  • Data correctness issues are found
  • Volunteers are available to backport

• Patch releases for severe issues only

• Support decreases with age

Older Releases (N-5 and earlier)

• Not supported

• Exceptions only when:

  • Volunteer provides the backport
  • Fix applies cleanly
  • Testing is available

• Upgrade required

Trunk/Master Branch

• Development branch
• Never use in production
• Contains experimental features and bugs
• For testing upcoming changes only

Edge Releases

• Weekly builds from master
• Never use in production
• Not supported - no fixes provided
• For testing upcoming features

Support Lifecycle

Timeframes are approximate and depend on volunteer availability.

A typical release follows this lifecycle:

1. Release Candidates (2-4 weeks)

   • One RC version per release
   • Active bug fixing with fixes verified in the existing RC
   • High community engagement

2. Current Release (approximately 2 months)

   • Primary focus for bug fixes
   • Active monitoring for issues
   • Most community attention

3. Supported Releases (N-1 through N-4, approximately 8 months)

   • Critical fixes only
   • Progressively reduced community focus
   • Patch releases for severe issues become less likely with age

4. Archived (N-5 and older)

   • No active support
   • Users strongly encouraged to upgrade
   • See :ref:current-version-support for details

Types of Support

Bug Fixes Highest priority (typically fixed very quickly):

• Data correctness issues - taken extremely seriously

High priority:

• Runtime bugs and crashes
• Severe performance regressions

Lower priority:

• Minor performance issues
• UI/cosmetic problems
• Feature enhancements

Security Vulnerabilities

• Upgrade to latest release (default recommendation)
• Patches for N-1 through N-4 available upon request
• Backport availability depends on volunteers and severity
• Plan to upgrade rather than rely on backports

Documentation

• Release notes and full documentation for all versions remain available
• Migration guides for major changes
• Community-contributed upgrade experiences

Getting Support

Community Channels

• Presto Slack <https://communityinviter.com/apps/prestodb/prestodb>_ - Real-time community discussion
• GitHub Issues <https://github.com/prestodb/presto/issues>_ - Bug reports and feature requests
• Mailing List <https://lists.prestodb.io/g/presto-dev>_ - Development discussions

Self-Support Resources

• Release notes and documentation
• Community Slack search history
• GitHub issues and pull requests
• Stack Overflow questions tagged 'presto'

Recommendations for Production Use

Version Selection

1. For new deployments: Use the latest stable release after thorough testing
2. For existing deployments: Stay within 4 versions of the latest release
3. For conservative environments: Wait for at least one patch release (if any) before upgrading
4. Never use trunk/master or edge in production

Upgrade Strategy

• Plan regular upgrades (every 2-4 months)
• Test thoroughly in staging environments
• Monitor community channels for known issues
• Maintain ability to rollback if needed
• Consider skipping releases if stable (but don't fall too far behind)

Risk Mitigation

• Maintain test environments matching production
• Participate in release candidate testing
• Monitor community discussions for your version
• Contribute test cases for critical workflows

Contributing to Support

Ways to contribute:

Report Issues

• File detailed bug reports with reproduction steps on GitHub Issues <https://github.com/prestodb/presto/issues>_
• Test fixes and provide feedback
• Share workarounds with the community

Contribute Fixes

• Submit pull requests <https://github.com/prestodb/presto/pulls>_ for bugs affecting you
• Help review and test others' fixes
• Backport critical fixes to versions you use

Share Knowledge

• Document upgrade experiences
• Answer questions in Presto Slack <https://communityinviter.com/apps/prestodb/prestodb>_
• Write blog posts about solutions
• Contribute to documentation <https://github.com/prestodb/presto/tree/master/presto-docs>_

Sponsor Development

• Allocate engineering resources to the project
• Fund specific feature development
• Support maintainers and release shepherds

Special Considerations

Long-Term Support (LTS)

• Not available
• Volunteer model incompatible with LTS commitments

End-of-Life Announcements

• No formal EOL process
• Versions become unsupported as community moves forward
• Check release announcements for migration guidance

Compatibility

• Breaking changes documented in release notes
• Migration guides provided for major changes
• Test when upgrading across multiple versions

Support Expectations

Available:

• Typically quick response to data correctness and runtime bugs
• Priority focus on critical issues
• Active community troubleshooting help
• Transparency about known issues
• Documentation for old versions

Not Available:

• Guaranteed response times
• Fixes for all issues
• Support for old versions
• Feature backports
• 24/7 support

Summary

Running Presto in production requires:

• Regular upgrades (every 2-4 months)
• Thorough testing before deploying
• Understanding that support is volunteer-based
• Contributing fixes for issues you encounter