| --- |
| title: "Release Plan for Gerrit 3.12" |
| tags: news |
| keywords: news |
| permalink: 2024-10-03-gerrit-3.12-release-plan.html |
| summary: "Release Plan for Gerrit 3.12" |
| hide_sidebar: true |
| hide_navtoggle: true |
| toc: true |
| --- |
| |
| ## High Level Release Plan |
| |
| | Date | Activity | |
| |------------|---------------------------------------------------| |
| | Mar 31 | Create `stable-3.12` branch, Release `3.12.0-rc0` | |
| | Apr 7 | Release `3.12.0-rc1` | |
| | Apr 14 | Release `3.12.0-rc2` | |
| | Apr 21 | Release `3.12.0-rc3` - Feature freeze deadline. | |
| | Apr 28 | Release `3.12.0-rc4` | |
| | May 5 | Release `3.12.0-rc5` - Release freeze | |
| | May 12 | Release `3.12.0-rc6` (*) | |
| | May 19 | Final release of `3.12.0` | |
| |
| > **(\*) WARNING**: An additional release candidate, `3.12.0-rc6`, was created to include a |
| > critical fix ([Change 473702](https://gerrit-review.googlesource.com/c/gerrit/+/473702)) that |
| > prevents duplicate reply comments from being published when applying a Fix. |
| > Furthermore, the `stable-3.11` branch was merged into `3.12` before the final 3.12.0 release. |
| > This merge introduced additional changes that also need validation, making a new release candidate |
| > necessary. |
| |
| ## Gerrit Hackathon |
| |
| There are plans for Gerrit hackathon in May in Germany (the exact location |
| has not been decided yet), but most likely not soon enough to support this |
| release. |
| |
| There is a [`gerrit-3_12-release` Discord channel](https://discord.com/channels/775374026587373568/1353333423636348968) |
| dedicated to anyone willing to help with the development, testing and |
| documentation of this release. |
| |
| ## Switch to Java 21 |
| |
| Gerrit v3.12 has dropped support for Java 17; Java 21 is mandatory and |
| set as the target source-code level. |
| |
| ## End-to-end Testing |
| |
| We plan to use the |
| [Gatling e2e test framework for Git](https://gerrit-review.googlesource.com/Documentation/dev-e2e-tests.html), |
| developed by GerritForge and Ericsson to test the stability of the release |
| on a production-like setup. |
| |
| [GerritForge](https://www.gerritforge.com), who is also offering |
| [Gerrit-as-a-Service on Google Cloud Marketplace](https://gerritforge.com/gaas.html), |
| will be testing the scalability of Gerrit v3.12, particularly with |
| medium to large-sized projects and in a multi-primary setup with Kubernetes |
| on GKE. |
| |
| ## End of Life for Gerrit 3.9.x |
| |
| Per the support policy mentioned in the |
| [project homepage](https://www.gerritcodereview.com/support.html#supported-versions), |
| after 3.12.0 is released, 3.9.x will reach the end of life and will no |
| longer be actively supported. |
| |
| Support for 3.10.x and 3.11.x will continue as usual. |
| Users of 3.9.x or earlier are recommended to upgrade to one of these versions. |
