You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.Dismiss alert
@@ -11,27 +12,41 @@ This document describes the development and publication process for the JSON Sch
11
12
12
13
### Defined Behavior
13
14
14
-
Some behaviors within JSON Schema may be explicitly or implicitly undefined by the specifications for various reasons. How to handle these behaviors is generally left to implementations.
15
+
Some behaviors within JSON Schema may be explicitly or implicitly undefined by
16
+
the specifications for various reasons. How to handle these behaviors is
17
+
generally left to implementations.
15
18
16
-
A defined behavior is one that is fully and unambiguously defined by the specifications.
19
+
A defined behavior is one that is fully and unambiguously defined by the
20
+
specifications.
17
21
18
-
An undefined behavior is said to have an "indeterminate" validation result since implementations may resolve the behavior in different ways.
22
+
An undefined behavior is said to have an "indeterminate" validation result since
23
+
implementations may resolve the behavior in different ways.
19
24
20
25
### Stability and Breaking Changes
21
26
22
-
Stability is defined using the level of compatibility between sequential releases. If all schemas which are written to one release produce the same defined behavior under the following release, then those releases are compatible, and the specification is said to be stable between them.
27
+
Stability is defined using the level of compatibility between sequential
28
+
releases. If all schemas which are written to one release produce the same
29
+
defined behavior under the following release, then those releases are
30
+
compatible, and the specification is said to be stable between them.
23
31
24
-
If an existing schema under the new release exhibits defined behavior that is contrary to defined behavior under the previous release, the new release is said to contain breaking changes and the specification is unstable between those releases.
32
+
If an existing schema under the new release exhibits defined behavior that is
33
+
contrary to defined behavior under the previous release, the new release is said
34
+
to contain breaking changes and the specification is unstable between those
35
+
releases.
25
36
26
-
If a new release fully defines a previously undefined (or under-defined) behavior, the new release is still considered compatible, even if it contradicts the decision of any particular implementation.
37
+
If a new release fully defines a previously undefined (or under-defined)
38
+
behavior, the new release is still considered compatible, even if it contradicts
39
+
the decision of any particular implementation.
27
40
28
-
For reference, this table shows the validation results of a hypothetical schema and instance across two consecutive releases to illustrate the compatibility of those releases:
41
+
For reference, this table shows the validation results of a hypothetical schema
42
+
and instance across two consecutive releases to illustrate the compatibility of
@@ -43,30 +58,40 @@ Consecutive releases which maintain compatibility with each other comprise a ver
43
58
44
59
## Release and Version
45
60
46
-
The JSON Schema specification will aim to publish annually on or about the First of January each year. Releases are identified by the year they are published.
61
+
The JSON Schema specification will aim to publish annually on or about the First
62
+
of January each year. Releases are identified by the year they are published.
47
63
48
-
When a new release contains breaking changes, that release begins a new version of JSON Schema.
64
+
When a new release contains breaking changes, that release begins a new version
65
+
of JSON Schema.
49
66
50
-
The version will be identified as an integer, starting with `1` and incrementing as needed.
67
+
The version will be identified as an integer, starting with `1` and incrementing
68
+
as needed.
51
69
52
-
Stability will be prioritized when making changes to the specification. Breaking changes are undesired and should be avoided when possible.
70
+
Stability will be prioritized when making changes to the specification. Breaking
71
+
changes are undesired and should be avoided when possible.
53
72
54
73
## Publication
55
74
56
75
### Specifications
57
76
58
-
The specifications will be published on the JSON Schema website, https://json-schema.org/, using a path comprised of the version, year, and document name. For example,
77
+
The specifications will be published on the JSON Schema website,
78
+
<https://json-schema.org/>, using a path comprised of the version, year, and
79
+
document name. For example,
59
80
60
81
```
61
82
https://json-schema.org/1/2025/core.html
62
83
https://json-schema.org/1/2025/validation.html
63
84
```
64
85
65
-
Once a specification document has been published, neither the document (save for minor errata such as spelling mistakes) nor its publication URL may change. If the TSC elects to alter the above URL scheme, the new scheme only applies to future publications and are not retroactive.
86
+
Once a specification document has been published, neither the document (save for
87
+
minor errata such as spelling mistakes) nor its publication URL may change. If
88
+
the TSC elects to alter the above URL scheme, the new scheme only applies to
89
+
future publications and are not retroactive.
66
90
67
91
### Meta-schemas
68
92
69
-
A release meta-schema will be published under the same path using `schema.json` as the file name.
93
+
A release meta-schema will be published under the same path using `schema.json`
94
+
as the file name.
70
95
71
96
```
72
97
https://json-schema.org/1/2025/schema.json
@@ -78,20 +103,25 @@ The website will also be configured to:
78
103
```
79
104
https://json-schema.org/1/2025/
80
105
```
81
-
- serve the meta-schema for the latest release in a version from its version folder
106
+
- serve the meta-schema for the latest release in a version from its version
107
+
folder
82
108
```
83
109
https://json-schema.org/1/
84
110
```
85
111
86
-
The latest-release meta-schemas will be updated with proposals as indicated by the [Proposal section](#proposal) of this document.
112
+
The latest-release meta-schemas will be updated with proposals as indicated by
113
+
the [Proposal section](#proposal) of this document.
114
+
115
+
> [!IMPORTANT]
116
+
> These are only publication and availability URLs. The specification will
117
+
> define the `$id` values for the meta-schemas.
87
118
88
-
```diff
89
-
@@ These are only publication and availability URLs. The specification will define the `$id` values for the meta-schemas. @@
90
-
```
91
119
92
120
## Feature Life Cycle
93
121
94
-
New features will progress through a sequence of stages before being added to the specification, and existing stable features must be formally deprecated before being removed. The stages of the life cycle, in order, are:
122
+
New features will progress through a sequence of stages before being added to
123
+
the specification, and existing stable features must be formally deprecated
124
+
before being removed. The stages of the life cycle, in order, are:
95
125
96
126
- Concept
97
127
- Proposal
@@ -106,48 +136,72 @@ The flow through these stages is depicted below:
106
136
107
137
### Concept
108
138
109
-
The feature life cycle begins with an idea expressed in a GitHub issue in this repository. Initial discussion may occur in Slack or another space, but the life cycle does not formally begin until a GitHub issue is created.
139
+
The feature life cycle begins with an idea expressed in a GitHub issue in this
140
+
repository. Initial discussion may occur in Slack or another space, but the life
141
+
cycle does not formally begin until a GitHub issue is created.
110
142
111
-
The discussion should cover how the feature could work, use cases, syntax, alternatives, whether it’s a breaking change, etc., with a goal of deciding rough requirements.
143
+
The discussion should cover how the feature could work, use cases, syntax,
144
+
alternatives, whether it’s a breaking change, etc., with a goal of deciding
145
+
rough requirements.
112
146
113
-
During this stage, members of the Core Team will implement private prototypes of the ideas expressed in the issue to get a feel for how it integrates with the stable features. Questions to address may include:
147
+
During this stage, members of the Core Team will implement private prototypes of
148
+
the ideas expressed in the issue to get a feel for how it integrates with the
149
+
stable features. Questions to address may include:
114
150
115
-
- Does the idea operate within the confines of existing JSON Schema evaluation processes, or does it define something new?
116
-
- Is the idea merely a shortcut for some existing functionality (syntactic sugar), or does it solve a previously unsolvable problem?
151
+
- Does the idea operate within the confines of existing JSON Schema evaluation
152
+
processes, or does it define something new?
153
+
- Is the idea merely a shortcut for some existing functionality (syntactic
154
+
sugar), or does it solve a previously unsolvable problem?
117
155
- What is the expected complexity for implementing the feature?
118
156
119
-
At least two (2) Core Team members must have implemented prototypes before the concept can continue to the formal proposal process.
157
+
At least two (2) Core Team members must have implemented prototypes before the
158
+
concept can continue to the formal proposal process.
120
159
121
-
### Proposal
160
+
### Proposal {#proposal}
122
161
123
-
Once a rough consensus for the idea has been reached, a formal proposal will be written, separate from the specification, with the goal of precisely defining specification changes.
162
+
Once a rough consensus for the idea has been reached, a formal proposal will be
163
+
written, separate from the specification, with the goal of precisely defining
164
+
specification changes.
124
165
125
-
The proposal will use the [Proposal Template](./proposals/proposal-template.md) and be stored in this repository's `proposals` folder.
166
+
The proposal will use the [Proposal Template](./proposals/proposal-template.md)
167
+
and be stored in this repository's `proposals` folder.
126
168
127
-
Additionally, a draft ADR will be included using the file name of the proposal document with an `-adr` suffix: `{proposal-file-name}-adr.md`. This ADR will include additional information from the "Concept" discussion.
169
+
Additionally, a draft ADR will be included using the file name of the proposal
170
+
document with an `-adr` suffix: `{proposal-file-name}-adr.md`. This ADR will
171
+
include additional information from the "Concept" discussion.
128
172
129
173
Proposed keywords will be added to the appropriate vocabulary meta-schemas in:
130
174
131
175
- latest published release and
132
176
- the `main` branch of this repository.
133
177
134
-
The subschema for the proposed keyword will contain only a `$comment` keyword indicating that the feature is experimental and containing a link to the proposal document. Aside from the `$comment` keyword, the subschema will be empty.
178
+
The subschema for the proposed keyword will contain only a `$comment` keyword
179
+
indicating that the feature is experimental and containing a link to the
180
+
proposal document. Aside from the `$comment` keyword, the subschema will be
181
+
empty.
135
182
136
-
_This is done so that a proposed keyword is allowed but not validated as its syntax may change during the proposal/experimentation process. It also permits different implementations to support different variations of each proposal separately throughout this process. It will be up to the implementation to validate these keywords in accordance with their support._
183
+
> [!NOTE]
184
+
> This is done so that a proposed keyword is allowed but not validated as its
185
+
> syntax may change during the proposal/experimentation process. It also permits
186
+
> different implementations to support different variations of each proposal
187
+
> separately throughout this process. It will be up to the implementation to
188
+
> validate these keywords in accordance with their support.
137
189
138
190
Tests for the proposal are added to the JSON Schema Test Suite.
139
191
140
192
```diff
141
193
@@ TODO: Identify a location within the test suite for proposals. @@
142
194
```
143
195
144
-
Once an initial draft of the proposal has been completed and published, the feature moves into Experimentation.
196
+
Once an initial draft of the proposal has been completed and published, the
197
+
feature moves into Experimentation.
145
198
146
199
### Experimentation
147
200
148
201
Implementations may begin to support the new feature.
149
202
150
-
Feedback from implementers and users are expected to result in refinements to the proposal, which will then be updated in the implementations.
203
+
Feedback from implementers and users are expected to result in refinements to
204
+
the proposal, which will then be updated in the implementations.
151
205
152
206
Breaking changes to a proposed feature MAY occur, but are highly discouraged.
153
207
@@ -163,28 +217,39 @@ In order to proceed to the next stage ([Stable](#stable)):
163
217
164
218
Experimental features are not considered to be interoperable across implementations.
165
219
166
-
If a proposal cannot advance to the next stage, it may be removed. The proposal document is moved to an `archive` subfolder, the keyword is removed from the meta-schemas, and any tests are moved to an `archive` subfolder. The removal of a feature which has not reached the stable state is not considered a breaking change.
220
+
If a proposal cannot advance to the next stage, it may be removed. The proposal
221
+
document is moved to an `archive` subfolder, the keyword is removed from the
222
+
meta-schemas, and any tests are moved to an `archive` subfolder. The removal of
223
+
a feature which has not reached the stable state is not considered a breaking
224
+
change.
167
225
168
-
### Stable
226
+
### Stable {#stable}
169
227
170
-
The feature is incorporated into the specification in the `main` branch as specified by the proposal document, and the feature will be required as of the next release.
228
+
The feature is incorporated into the specification in the `main` branch as
229
+
specified by the proposal document, and the feature will be required as of the
230
+
next release.
171
231
172
232
The draft ADR is completed, dated, and moved to the `adr` folder.
173
233
174
-
The appropriate vocabulary meta-schema in the `main` branch is updated to include a subschema that validates the feature's syntax requirements. This will be made available with the next release.
234
+
The appropriate vocabulary meta-schema in the `main` branch is updated to
235
+
include a subschema that validates the feature's syntax requirements. This will
236
+
be made available with the next release.
175
237
176
-
Upon publication of the new release, the meta-schema for the lapsed release will have the keyword removed.
238
+
Upon publication of the new release, the meta-schema for the lapsed release will
239
+
have the keyword removed.
177
240
178
241
The appropriate tests are incorporated into the main suite.
179
242
180
243
### Deprecated
181
244
182
-
If a feature is no longer useful, e.g. it has been replaced, it may be deprecated by indicating it as such in the specification.
245
+
If a feature is no longer useful, e.g. it has been replaced, it may be
246
+
deprecated by indicating it as such in the specification.
183
247
184
248
Implementations must support deprecated features.
185
249
186
250
### Removed
187
251
188
-
A feature must have been published as deprecated for at least one release before it can be considered for removal.
252
+
A feature must have been published as deprecated for at least one release before
0 commit comments