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| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @@ -1,45 +1,64 @@ | ||||||
| # Feature stages | ||||||
| We release some Coder features or components in feature stages before we consider them "generally available" (GA). | ||||||
| This gives Coder users the opportunity to use the latest Coder features and improve the open-source project. | ||||||
| If you encounter an issue with any Coder feature, please submit a | ||||||
| [GitHub issue](https://github.com/coder/coder/issues) or join the | ||||||
| [Coder Discord](https://discord.gg/coder). | ||||||
| ## Feature stages | ||||||
| | Feature stage | Stable | Production-ready | Support | Description | | ||||||
| |-------------------------------------------|--------|------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ||||||
| | [Experiment](#experiment-hidden) | No | No | N/A | For staging and testing only. Not feature-complete or stable.</br>Hidden and disabled by default. | | ||||||
| | [Early Access](#early-access-features) | No | No | Limited documentation</br>GitHub issues | For staging only. Functional, but not feature-complete or stable.</br>Disabled by default. | | ||||||
| | [Beta](#beta) | No | Not fully | Documentation</br>Discord</br>GitHub | Publicly available on an opt-in basis. In active development with minor bugs. Suitable for staging; optional for production. Not covered by SLA. | | ||||||
| | [GA](#general-availability-ga) | Yes | Yes | License-based / SLA | Stable and tested. Enabled by default. Fully documented. Support based on license. | | ||||||
Comment on lines +17 to +18 There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. We do not need to repeat support in the Description column, since we already have a separate Support column. Comment on lines +16 to +18 Member There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. We should mention Discord, GitHub, and Documentation as support channels for GA features, at least for the OSS community. | ||||||
| | [Legacy (Deprecated)](#legacy-deprecated) | Yes* | Yes* | Best-effort security updates | Legacy features continue to function, but will not be updated outside of the limits defined in a customer's license or agreement.</br>They will be removed in future versions of Coder. | | ||||||
| ## Experiment (Hidden) | ||||||
| - **Stable**: No | ||||||
| - **Production-ready**: No | ||||||
| - **Support**: N/A | ||||||
| Experimental features are in active development and hidden by default. | ||||||
| They are not ready for ongoing use and aspects might be broken or can lead to data loss. | ||||||
| You can enable an experimental feature for testing, if you want to explore the latest Coder code, or if you'd like to contribute. | ||||||
| <details><summary>To enable an experimental feature:</summary> | ||||||
| Use the [Coder CLI](../../install/cli.md) `--experiments` flag to enable the feature: | ||||||
| ```shell | ||||||
| coder server --experiments=featureName | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
| </details> | ||||||
| ## Early access features | ||||||
| - **Stable**: No | ||||||
| - **Production-ready**: No | ||||||
| - **Support**: GitHub issues | ||||||
| Early access features are neither feature-complete nor stable. | ||||||
| We do notrecommend using early access features in production deployments. | ||||||
| Coder sometimes releases early access features that are available for use, but are disabled by default. | ||||||
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. Suggested change
Some features are not disabled by default but require opt-in, such as Presets and the upcoming Secrets. We will likely not hide them behind a flag and provide an early access status within the product and documentation through labels. | ||||||
| You shouldn't use early access features in production because they might cause performance or stability issues. | ||||||
| Early access features can be mostly feature-complete, but require further internal testing and remain in the early access stage for at least one month. | ||||||
| Coder may make significant changes or revert features to a feature flag at any time. | ||||||
| If you plan to activate an early access feature, we suggest that you use a staging deployment. | ||||||
| <details><summary>To enable early access features:</summary> | ||||||
| Use the [Coder CLI](../../install/cli.md) `--experiments` flag to enable early access features: | ||||||
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. It's not a hard requirement to gate all early access features behind feature flags. I see that we are adding a new category for experimental features that could also qualify as EA. | ||||||
| - Enable all early access features: | ||||||
| @@ -80,53 +99,59 @@ You can opt-out of a feature after you've enabled it. | ||||||
| Beta features are open to the public and are tagged with a `Beta` label. | ||||||
| They’re in active development and subject to minor changes. | ||||||
| They might containminor bugs, but are generally ready for use. | ||||||
| Beta features are often ready for general availability within two-three releases. | ||||||
| You should test beta features in staging environments. | ||||||
| You can use beta features in production, but should set expectations and inform users that some features may be incomplete. | ||||||
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. We now try to complete features in Beta and only do polishing and bug fixes in the GA phase. So saying that they may be comparable feature-wise would be incorrect. | ||||||
| We keep documentation about beta features up-to-date with the latest information, including planned features, limitations, and workarounds. | ||||||
| If you encounter an issue, please contact your [Coder account team](https://coder.com/contact), reach out on | ||||||
| [Discord](https://discord.gg/coder), or create a [GitHub issues](https://github.com/coder/coder/issues) if there isn't one already. | ||||||
| While we will do our best to provide support with beta features, most issues will be escalated to the product team. | ||||||
| Beta features are not covered within service-level agreements (SLA). | ||||||
| Most beta features are enabled by default. | ||||||
| Beta features are announced through the [Coder Changelog](https://coder.com/changelog), and more information is available in the documentation. | ||||||
| ## General Availability (GA) | ||||||
| - **Stable**: Yes | ||||||
| - **Production-ready**: Yes | ||||||
| - **Support**: Yes, [based on license](https://coder.com/pricing). | ||||||
| All features that are not explicitly tagged as `Early access` or `Beta` are considered generally available (GA). | ||||||
| They have been tested, are stable, and are enabled by default. | ||||||
| If your Coder license includes an SLA, please consult it for an outline of specific expectations. | ||||||
| For support, consult our knowledgeable and growing community on [Discord](https://discord.gg/coder), or create a | ||||||
| [GitHub issue](https://github.com/coder/coder/issues) if one doesn't exist already. | ||||||
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. Suggested change
| ||||||
| Customers with a valid Coder license, can submit a support request or contact your [account team](https://coder.com/contact). | ||||||
| We intend [Coder documentation](../../README.md) to be the [single source of truth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_source_of_truth) | ||||||
| and all features should have some form of complete documentation that outlines how to use or implement a feature. | ||||||
| If you discover an error or if you have a suggestion that could improve the documentation, please | ||||||
| [submit a GitHub issue](https://github.com/coder/internal/issues/new?title=request%28docs%29%3A+request+title+here&labels=["customer-feedback","docs"]&body=please+enter+your+request+here). | ||||||
There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. Why are we asking for feedback on the internal repo? We should use the coder/coder repo issues or GitHub Discussions. | ||||||
| Some GA features can be disabled for air-gapped deployments. | ||||||
| Consult the feature's documentation or submit a support ticket for assistance. | ||||||
| ## Legacy (Deprecated) | ||||||
Comment on lines +141 to +142 There was a problem hiding this comment. Choose a reason for hiding this commentThe reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others.Learn more. We should add Product labels and docs labels to all deprecated features. | ||||||
| - **Stable**: Yes* | ||||||
| - **Production-ready**: Yes* | ||||||
| - **Support**: Best-effort security updates | ||||||
| On rare occasions, the Coder team may deprecate features that have been replaced by another functionality, or that tedious to maintain. | ||||||
| In order to maintain stability and predictability, we avoid deprecating features that might lead to breaking changes as much as we can. | ||||||
| Before we deprecate a feature, we will communicate the upcoming changes and timeline to all customers and through various mediums, | ||||||
| and we'll provide guidance and documentation on how to ease the transition. | ||||||
| After the feature is deprecated, we may continue to patch security vulnerabilities or include community patches as long as we can. | ||||||
| *Legacy features might be stable and production ready, but there's no guarantee that they will continue working without issue or with new features and requirements. | ||||||
| Support is available as defined in your license or agreement. | ||||||
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