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API versioning gives clients a way to keep using a known contract while the service changes. When a change could break existing integrations, the provider makes the new contract available as a distinct version, documents how clients can move to it, and sets a policy for the older version.
What API versioning means
An API is a contract between a service and its consumers: it defines available operations, request parameters, authentication, response fields, and behavior. Versioning makes distinct contracts selectable so a service can evolve without unexpectedly changing what existing clients rely on. The Microsoft REST API Guidelines say APIs compliant with those guidelines must support explicit versioning; the Azure Architecture Center’s API design guidance likewise emphasizes backward-compatible change where practical.
Versioning is not a guarantee that every version will be supported forever. It is a way to distinguish contracts, communicate compatibility, and manage transitions. A version policy should tell consumers which versions exist, which are supported, what changes are compatible, and how retirement will be announced.
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Why APIs need versions
Without an explicit compatibility boundary, a server change can alter what clients receive or what they must send. A mobile app, integration, or customer-maintained script may not be updated at the same time as the service. Keeping a stable version lets those consumers continue working while new clients adopt a revised contract.
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Versioning also gives maintainers a place to make necessary changes—such as correcting a response model or changing authentication—without silently imposing them on every consumer at once. The trade-off is that each concurrently supported contract adds implementation, testing, documentation, and operational work. Azure’s guidance therefore recommends retiring obsolete versions as soon as practical, while providing a clear route forward.
What counts as a breaking change?
A change is breaking when a client using the existing contract may fail, require code changes, or observe meaningfully different behavior. The exact boundary should be stated in the API’s policy; labels such as “minor” do not make an incompatible change safe.
Changes that usually need a new major version
- Removing or renaming an operation, request parameter, or response field.
- Changing a request or response field’s type, or changing a parameter’s meaning.
- Adding a required parameter or making validation stricter so previously accepted requests are rejected.
- Changing observable behavior, error codes, or error response contracts in a way clients may depend on.
- Removing an enum value that a client may send or handle.
- Changing authentication or authorization requirements.
These examples align with the GitHub REST API versioning guidance and Microsoft’s REST guidelines. A change can be breaking even if it looks small from the server’s perspective: clients may have built assumptions around a field, error, or accepted input.
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Changes that are commonly additive
- Adding a new operation that existing clients do not call.
- Adding an optional request parameter or header.
- Adding a response field or header, or adding an enum value, when clients are expected to tolerate permitted additions.
“Additive” is not automatically “safe.” A client that rejects unknown JSON fields or assumes an enum can only contain a fixed set of values may still break. Document tolerance expectations, and design clients to ignore unknown response properties and handle unrecognized enum values safely where appropriate.
Where should the version go?
Common selectors are a URL path segment, a query parameter, or a request header. There is no universal winner; choose based on routing, URL stability, caching, and client ergonomics, then apply the convention consistently across services sharing an endpoint. Microsoft’s REST guidance describes path and query mechanisms; GitHub selects its REST API version with a request header.
| Selector | Example | Useful when | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Path | /v1.0/products/users |
The version should be visible in the endpoint and straightforward for routing or documentation. | Version becomes part of the resource URL; changing or stabilizing path structure needs deliberate design. |
| Query parameter | /products/users?api-version=1.0 |
The service already uses query parameters for request options and can keep one resource path. | Clients and intermediaries must preserve the parameter; ensure caches distinguish versions. |
| Request header | X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2026-03-10 |
The service prefers version selection outside the resource URL; GitHub uses this pattern for its date-based versions. | The version is less visible when copying a URL, and clients must reliably send the header. Document the default behavior if omitted. |
Microsoft recommends using one mechanism for services behind a shared DNS endpoint, and recommends putting the version in the path when path stability cannot be guaranteed. Whatever you select, document exactly where it goes, whether omission is allowed, and which version an omitted selector means. A silent or changing default can make the same client request behave differently over time.
Major, minor, semantic, and date-based versions
The version label communicates how contracts relate; it does not replace a compatibility policy. Pick a scheme that lets consumers identify the contract they target without creating more versions than the team can test and support.
Major-only or major/minor versions
A major version commonly changes for an incompatible contract, such as /v1 to /v2. Microsoft and Google Cloud Endpoints describe incrementing a version for breaking changes, with Google recommending minor increments for backward-compatible changes and major increments for breaking ones. This is easy to explain when clients need to choose among a small number of meaningful contracts.
Semantic versioning
Semantic versioning labels releases as MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. The Azure Architecture Center notes this scheme but cautions that API consumers generally should select a major, or another meaningful level, rather than being forced to support every patch-level combination. A public API version describes a contract clients select; it need not mirror every internal software release.
Date-based versions
A date-based identifier makes a release date explicit. GitHub uses names such as 2026-03-10 and documents the date in the version name. This can make version chronology legible, but the date itself does not tell a client which breaking changes occurred; release notes and migration guidance still matter.
How long should an old API version remain supported?
There is no universal support period. Policies vary by API and product, so consumers should rely on the provider’s published commitment rather than assume a familiar duration applies everywhere.
| Service policy | Published period | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub REST API versions | At least 24 months after a newer version is released. | As stated in GitHub’s current versioning documentation; check that documentation for applicable version and retirement notices. |
| Microsoft Graph GA deprecated elements | 36 months, or 24 months with demonstrated non-usage. | This is Microsoft’s stated policy for deprecated generally available elements, not a universal rule for all APIs. |
These differing policies illustrate why every API should publish its own window, what starts the clock, how exceptions are handled, and what happens on the retirement date. A client with a long release cycle may need a longer overlap than a service whose consumers can upgrade rapidly.
How to deprecate v1 and move clients to v2
- Define the v2 contract. Publish the new endpoint or selector value, schemas, authentication requirements, error behavior, and supported operations before asking clients to migrate.
- Explain every incompatibility. Provide a changelog that maps each v1 behavior to its v2 replacement. Include concrete before-and-after request and response examples, especially for changed types, validation, enums, and authorization.
- Publish the migration guide and dates. State when v2 is available, when v1 is deprecated, the planned sunset date, and the support commitment. Include any required client changes and a way to test against v2.
- Run versions concurrently when needed. Route requests according to the selected contract and ensure each version has appropriate tests. Avoid making a v1 response change just to ease v2 implementation.
- Measure adoption. Track requests by version and, where feasible, by client identity. Use the data to contact remaining consumers and resolve migration blockers before shutdown.
- Signal retirement in responses and documentation. GitHub documents sending
DeprecationandSunsetheaders as a closing date approaches; after retirement, it returns HTTP 410. Choose and document equivalent behavior if your API uses another policy. - Retire with a clear failure. Once the announced date arrives, stop serving the old contract and return a useful error that identifies the retired version and points to the upgrade path. Keep the documentation accessible so old integrations can be diagnosed.
Microsoft’s REST guidelines call for an upgrade path and deprecation plan when introducing a new major version. The operational goal is a predictable transition, not indefinite parallel support.
Implementation checklist for an API team
- Write down what your API considers breaking, including validation changes and additive response fields.
- Select one version selector convention for the API family and define what happens if it is omitted.
- Put the version in the documented request contract and publish the currently supported versions.
- Make client guidance explicit about unknown JSON properties, headers, and enum values.
- Publish changelogs, migration examples, deprecation dates, and the retirement response behavior.
- Measure traffic by version before retirement and provide a clear response after shutdown.
- Budget engineering and testing capacity for every contract kept live at the same time.
How API versioning relates to screenshot APIs
Versioning matters for any developer-facing API whose contract clients integrate against, including screenshot services. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers; its documented API base is https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot. Its parameter names also work with those used by other screenshot APIs, which can make a switch easier. See ScreenshotNeo for the service overview.
For a screenshot request, versioning is only one part of integration design. Also decide how your client will detect a successful image or PDF response, handle failures, and manage timeouts. ScreenshotNeo responses identify page outcomes and billing in headers, including X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed; these are useful response-contract details to account for in a client.
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For a website screenshot, ScreenshotNeo takes a URL in one GET request and returns an image or PDF. This cURL example saves a WebP screenshot of Stripe; replace the target URL as needed. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and response details.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; those steps can each be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses indicate the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan to try 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an API use versioning without changing its URL?
Yes. A service can select a contract with a request header, as GitHub does, rather than putting the version in the URL.
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Does adding a response field always require a new version?
Not necessarily. It is commonly treated as additive, but clients that reject unknown fields may still fail; the API’s compatibility policy should say how clients are expected to behave.
Should an API version match the software release number?
Not necessarily. The public version identifies a contract clients select, and need not expose every internal patch release.
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