Release Communication & Lifecycle Plan
This section outlines the release cadence, versioning strategy, and communication protocols for 21 Travel Rule. Because 21 Travel Rule is licensed for use on Licensee-Controlled Infrastructure, this plan is designed to provide DevOps and Security teams with the predictability required for their internal Change Management processes.
Versioning Strategy
21 Travel Rule strictly adheres to Semantic Versioning (SemVer)
(MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH).
- MAJOR (
X.0.0): Introduces breaking changes, architectural overhauls, or significant changes to the data schema requiring database migrations. - MINOR (
0.X.0): Introduces new, backward-compatible features and enhancements. - PATCH (
0.0.X): Contains backward-compatible bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements.
Release Cadence
To ensure stability and predictability for enterprise deployments, our release schedule is bifurcated into Planned Releases and Out-of-Band (Ad-hoc) Releases.
Planned Releases (Major & Minor)
Major and significant Minor releases follow a bi-annual cadence. New versions are pushed to the container registry on:
- The beginning of Q2 (April)
- The beginning of Q4 (October)
Out-of-Band Releases (Ad-hoc Patches & Minor Updates)
To maintain compliance with DORA, NIS2, and general security best practices, Patch releases and urgent Minor updates are pushed out-of-band on an ad-hoc basis.
- Security Triggers: In cases where emergency patches are required to address vulnerabilities, they will be applied immediately.
- Non-Critical Triggers: Standard bug fixes and non-breaking feature enhancements are bundled and released continuously as available.
Because we adhere to strict SemVer and updates are never forced, customers
can safely configure their orchestration systems to automatically pull the
latest PATCH version within their current MAJOR.MINOR track without risking
unplanned disruption to their service availability.
Communication & Notification Plan
Because 21 Analytics does not push code directly to customer environments, proactive communication is critical. All updates are communicated to the Licensee's designated technical contacts.
| Release Type | Notice Period / SLA | Communication Channel | Included Artefacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planned Major/Minor (Q2/Q4) | 7 Days (approx. 5 Business Days) | Email to Technical Contacts | Release Notes, Changelog, Migration Guides |
| Out-of-Band Minor | At time of release | Email to Technical Contacts | Release Notes, Changelog |
| Out-of-Band Security Patch (Standard) | Within 3 Business Days | Email to Technical Contacts | Release Notes, Changelog |
| Out-of-Band Security Patch (Critical) | Within 24 hours of discovery | Urgent Security Advisory Email to Technical Contacts | CVE Mitigation Details |
Support Lifecycle and End-of-Life (EOL)
To allow customers ample time for internal testing, 21 Analytics supports multiple concurrent versions of 21 Travel Rule.
- Active Support: The current
MAJOR.MINORrelease receives all new features, bug fixes, and security patches. - Maintenance Support: The previous
MAJORrelease will receive backported critical security patches for a period of 6 months after the release of a newMAJORversion. - End of Life (EOL): Versions older than the defined Maintenance Support window will no longer receive updates.