BridgeFT is continuously improving the clarity and manageability of our WealthTech API platform. We have transitioned from the traditional numeric versioning scheme (e.g. 1.0.0) to a more intuitive and informative date-based versioning system. Let’s have a look what does it mean for our Clients.

Why the Change?

The shift to date-based versioning offers several key benefits:

• Improved clarity
• Simplified decision-making
• Enhanced compatibility
• Easier documentation navigation

What is Date-Based Versioning?

Date-based versioning is a versioning system that provides a clear and contextual understanding of when a particular API version was released and the nature of changes it includes:

• Release Year (YYYY): The first part of the version indicates the year when the version was released. We starts with 2023 which represents the year of release.
• Minor Version (M): The second part indicates the minor version. This signify backward-incompatible changes, which won’t happen often in time. Backward-incompatible changes allow you to still use the old versions, if they haven’t been deprecated, but using the new version will significantly change and improve your experience using APIs. Our first and default version will be 2023.1 and we will be announcing in advance any minor version releases and support you in transitions to the newest versions (for example from 2023.1 to 2023.2, 2024.1 etc).
• Patch Version (P): The third part represents the patch version. Patch versions include backward-compatible changes or additions to the APIs such as bug fixes and minor improvements without altering the API's core functionality. These updates are fully backward-compatible with the previous version (e.g., from 2023.1.0 to 2023.1.1). The latest patch version will automatically be applied to the request to ensure that mission critical fixes and improvements get applied, thus you don’t need to specify patch version in requests, but we use if mostly for our internal releases tracking and change log.

What Does This Mean for You?

For existing clients, you will be automatically transitioned to the new 2023.1 version. This means:

• No Immediate Impact: You will experience no disruptions or changes in your API usage. All your existing integrations will continue to work seamlessly.
• Enhanced Version Information: When you interact with our APIs, you will now see the version represented as 2023.1 in your API requests and responses, making it easier to identify the release year and version details.

Future Updates and Compatibility

As we release new versions, you can expect the following:

• Year: We will change the year of version based on the calendar. This change will be backward-compatible.
• Minor Version Updates: For any changes that affect your current experience and API functionality, such as deprecation or removal of endpoints, changes in response fields or parameters, we will release a minor version. We will provide advance notification and detailed documentation to assist with the transition.
• Patch Version Updates: These will include bug fixes and minor improvements without altering the API's core functionality. It will be tracked internally and we will make sure to support backward-compatibility. So you no need to worry about this part at all!
• Continued Access to Older Versions: You are not required to immediately update to the latest version. If your integration relies on an older version, you can continue to use it until you are ready to transition to a newer one.

We remain committed to ensuring backward compatibility whenever possible to minimize disruptions to your existing integrations!

Where to Find Updates?

All changes happening to any APIs and any new version release updates are published on the Change Log. Apart from that, we continue to include WealthTech API Platform updates in our regular Release Notes sent via email to our Clients.