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

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)

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

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

  • Test fixes and provide feedback

  • Share workarounds with the community

Contribute Fixes

  • Submit pull requests for bugs affecting you

  • Help review and test others’ fixes

  • Backport critical fixes to versions you use

Share Knowledge
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