Different Types of Microservice Versioning
Versioning
Versioning in microservices is managing changes to
APIs or service endpoints without disrupting existing clients. It ensures
backward compatibility while allowing new functionality to be introduced.
Versioning is crucial in distributed systems where multiple consumers depend on
the same microservice.
When to Use Versioning
Backward
Compatibility: When changes to an API are not compatible with
existing clients.
New
Features: Introducing new features or endpoints without
affecting older clients.
Deprecation: To phase
out older versions of an API while allowing clients to migrate to newer
versions.
Strategies for Microservice Versioning
- URI Versioning (Path Versioning):
- Add the version number to the URI.
- Example: /api/v1/orders and /api/v2/orders.
- Query String Versioning:
- Specify the version in the query string.
- Example: /api/orders?version=1.
- Header Versioning:
- Pass the version in a custom HTTP header.
- Example: x-api-version: 1.
- Content Negotiation (Media Type Versioning):
- Use the Accept header to specify the version.
- Example: Accept: application/vnd.myapp.v1+json.
- Rolling Updates (No Versioning):
- For minor changes, clients and services are
updated simultaneously. Use only for small-scale, tightly coupled
systems.
Best Practices
- Use URI versioning for public APIs because it is
easy to understand and document.
- Use header or content negotiation for private or
internal APIs to reduce clutter in URIs.
- Always maintain clear deprecation policies and
timelines for older versions.
- Document each version thoroughly and provide
migration guides.
Here’s how to implement versioning using URI paths in
an ASP.NET Core application.
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
namespace MyMicroservice.Controllers
{
[ApiController]
[Route("api/v1/orders")]
public class OrdersV1Controller
: ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IActionResult GetOrders()
{
return Ok(new
{ Version = "v1",
Orders = new[]
{ "Order1", "Order2"
} });
}
}
[ApiController]
[Route("api/v2/orders")]
public class OrdersV2Controller
: ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IActionResult GetOrders()
{
return Ok(new
{ Version = "v2",
Orders = new[]
{ "Order1", "Order2",
"Order3" }, NewFeature = "New
Data" });
}
}
}
Step 2: Configure Routing in Startup.cs or Program.cs
public class Startup
{
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddControllers();
}
public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app,
IWebHostEnvironment env)
{
if (env.IsDevelopment())
{
app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
}
app.UseRouting();
app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
{
endpoints.MapControllers();
});
}
}
Step 3: Test API Versions
Version 1 Endpoint:
GET
/api/v1/orders
Response: { "Version": "v1", "Orders":
["Order1", "Order2"] }
Version 2 Endpoint:
GET /api/v2/orders
Response: { "Version": "v2", "Orders":
["Order1", "Order2", "Order3"], "NewFeature":
"New Data" }
Example: Header Versioning in C#
Step 1: Configure API Versioning
Install the Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Versioning
package:
dotnet add package Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Versioning
Step 2: Configure Versioning in Startup.cs
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddControllers();
services.AddApiVersioning(options =>
{
options.ReportApiVersions = true;
// Include version info in responses
options.ApiVersionReader = new HeaderApiVersionReader("x-api-version");
});
}
Step 3: Create Versioned Controllers
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
namespace MyMicroservice.Controllers
{
[ApiController]
[ApiVersion("1.0")]
[Route("api/orders")]
public class OrdersV1Controller
: ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IActionResult GetOrders()
{
return Ok(new
{ Version = "v1",
Orders = new[]
{ "Order1", "Order2"
} });
}
}
[ApiController]
[ApiVersion("2.0")]
[Route("api/orders")]
public class OrdersV2Controller
: ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IActionResult GetOrders()
{
return Ok(new
{ Version = "v2",
Orders = new[]
{ "Order1", "Order2",
"Order3" }, NewFeature = "New
Data" });
}
}
}
Step 4: Test Header Versioning
Version 1 Request:
GET
/api/orders
Header:
x-api-version: 1.0
Response: {
"Version": "v1", "Orders": ["Order1", "Order2"]
}
Version 2 Request:
GET /api/orders
Header: x-api-version: 2.0
Response: { "Version": "v2", "Orders":
["Order1", "Order2", "Order3"], "NewFeature":
"New Data" }
When to Use Each Versioning Strategy
|
Strategy |
Best For |
|
URI Versioning |
Public APIs, easy-to-read URLs, clear documentation. |
|
Header
Versioning |
Internal APIs where reducing URL clutter is a
priority. |
|
Query String |
Temporary or experimental features. |
|
Content
Negotiation |
APIs needing fine-grained control over request and
response formats. |
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