Skip to content
_CORE
AI & Agentic Systems Core Information Systems Cloud & Platform Engineering Data Platform & Integration Security & Compliance QA, Testing & Observability IoT, Automation & Robotics Mobile & Digital Banking & Finance Insurance Public Administration Defense & Security Healthcare Energy & Utilities Telco & Media Manufacturing Logistics & E-commerce Retail & Loyalty
References Technologies Blog Know-how Tools
About Collaboration Careers
CS EN DE
Let's talk

REST API Versioning — Strategies for Long-Term Maintenance

18. 02. 2015 Updated: 24. 03. 2026 1 min read CORE SYSTEMSdevelopment
This article was published in 2015. Some information may be outdated.
REST API Versioning — Strategies for Long-Term Maintenance

Our REST API serves three mobile applications, two web clients, and partner systems. Each client has a different deployment cycle. We need versioning.

Three Strategies

URL path: /api/v1/projects — the most readable, easy to route. Header: Accept: application/vnd.core.v2+json — cleaner, but harder to test. Query param: ?version=2 — a compromise.

We chose URL path versioning — simplicity wins.

Breaking vs. Non-Breaking Changes

  • Breaking: Removing/renaming a field, changing a type → new version
  • Non-breaking: Adding a field, new endpoint, optional parameter → same version

The key principle: stay additive-only for as long as possible. Deprecation process: Sunset header, notify clients, 6 months of monitoring, then shut down.

Version from Day One

Adding versioning retroactively is harder. Even with a single client, start with /api/v1/.

restapiverzováníarchitektura
Share:

CORE SYSTEMS

We build core systems and AI agents that keep operations running. 15 years of experience with enterprise IT.

Need help with implementation?

Our experts can help with design, implementation, and operations. From architecture to production.

Contact us
Need help with implementation? Schedule a meeting