This post describes the goals, release process, and estimated schedule for Swift 5.4. Swift 5.4 is a release focused on quality and performance enhancements.
Snapshots of Swift 5.4
Downloadable snapshots of the Swift 5.4 release branch will be posted regularly as part of continuous integration testing. As support is available, snapshot downloads will be added for newly supported platforms.
Once Swift 5.4 is released, the official final builds will also be posted in addition to the snapshots.
Getting Changes into Swift 5.4
On Dec 14, 2020 the release/5.4 branch will be cut in the swift repository and most related project repositories. This will contain the changes that will be released in Swift 5.4. After the branch is cut, changes can be landed on the branch via pull request if they meet the criteria for the release.
The following projects will cut their Swift 5.4 branches on Jan 7, 2021:
The same policies will apply to these projects: once the branch is cut, changes can be landed on the branch via pull request if they meet the criteria for the release.
Philosophy on Taking Changes into Swift 5.4
-
All language and API changes for Swift 5.4 will go through the Swift
Evolution process. Evolution
proposals should aim to be completed by the branch date in order to
increase their chances of impacting the Swift 5.4 release. Exceptions
will be considered on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they tie
in with the core goal of the release. -
Other changes (e.g., bug fixes, diagnostic improvements, SourceKit interface
improvements) will be accepted based on their risk and impact. -
Low-risk test tweaks will also be accepted late into the release branch if
it aids in the qualification of the release. -
As the release converges, the criteria for accepted changes will become
increasingly restrictive.
Impacted Repositories
The following repositories will have a release/5.4 branch to track
sources as part of Swift 5.4 release:
- indexstore-db
- sourcekit-lsp
- swift
- swift-cmark
- swift-corelibs-foundation
- swift-corelibs-libdispatch
- swift-corelibs-xctest
- swift-driver
- swift-integration-tests
- swift-llbuild
- swift-package-manager
- swift-stress-tester
- swift-syntax
- swift-tools-support-core
- swift-xcode-playground-support
The llvm-project will have a corresponding swift/release/5.4 branch.
Release Managers
The overall management of the release will be overseen by the following
individuals, who will announce when stricter control of change goes into
effect for the Swift 5.4 release as the release converges.
-
Ben Cohen is the overall release manager for Swift 5.4.
-
Doug Gregor is the release manager for the Swift Compiler
-
Michael Spencer is the release manager for
llvm-project. -
Fred Riss is the release manager for LLDB in llvm-project.
-
Kyle Macomber is the release manager for the
Swift Standard Library. -
Tony Parker is the release manager for
swift-corelibs-foundation. -
Rokhini Prabhu is the release manager for
swift-corelibs-libdispatch. -
Brian Croom is the release manager for
swift-corelibs-xctest. -
Tom Doron is the release manager for
swift-package-manager. -
Daniel Dunbar is the release manager for
swift-llbuild and swift-tools-support-core. -
Argyrios Kyrtzidis is the release manager for sourcekit-lsp, indexstore-db, swift-syntax, and swift-stress-tester.
Platform Release Managers
-
Nicole Jacque is the release manager for the Darwin platform.
-
Tom Doron is the release manager for Linux platforms.
-
Saleem Abdulrasool is the release manager for the Windows platform.
Please feel free to post on the development forum
or contact Ted Kremenek directly concerning any questions about the release management
process.
Pull Requests for Release Branch
In order for a pull request to be considered for inclusion in the release
branch (release/5.4) after it has been cut, it must include the following
information:
-
Explanation: A description of the issue being fixed or enhancement being
made. This can be brief, but it should be clear. -
Scope: An assessment of the impact/importance of the change. For
example, is the change a source-breaking language change, etc. -
SR Issue: The SR if the change fixes/implements an issue/enhancement on
bugs.swift.org. -
Risk: What is the (specific) risk to the release for taking this change?
-
Testing: What specific testing has been done or needs to be done to
further validate any impact of this change? -
Reviewer: One or more code owners
for the impacted components should review the change. Technical review can
be delegated by a code owner or otherwise requested as deemed appropriate or
useful.
All changes going on the release/5.4 branch must go through pull requests that are
accepted by the corresponding release manager.