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Calendar Versioning & Release Cadence

· 3 min read
blckmn
blckmn
Developer
Announcement

New Versioning Scheme & Release Cadence

Introduction​

To create a more predictable release schedule, we're moving to a new versioning system and development cycle, starting with the next release. The versioning scheme we will be moving to is known as CalVer or Calendar Versioning.

This style of versioning works well when there is a predictable release cadence, and that is something we are going to establish for the Betaflight project. Our release cadence will move to two major releases per year, with patch releases in between. Our target months for a major release will be June and December each year.

Our CalVer Format​

The New Format will be: YYYY.M.PATCH (e.g., 2025.12.0)

This means the successor to our current 4.x series will be Betaflight 2025.12.0, followed by Betaflight 2026.6.0. We will also align the Betaflight App and Firmware to the same YYYY.M releases (and cadence).

You can expect the major release version of the App and the Firmware to work together seamlessly and without issues.

Our New Release Cycle​

To support this schedule, our development phases will be structured as follows:

  • Alpha:

    For new feature development. Alpha builds for the next version will be available shortly after a stable release is published. This will be the master branch, and will always be available.

    This will be available in the App Firmware Flasher tab when Development is selected.


    info

    "Expert mode" must be activated in the Betaflight App.

  • Beta:

    A one-month feature freeze for bug fixes only, starting approximately two months before a major release. This will be the beginning of the *-maintenance branch. Fixes placed into the master branch will be periodically merged to the *-maintenance branch during this period.

    This will be available in the App Firmware Flasher tab when Development is selected.


    info

    "Expert mode" must be activated in the Betaflight App.

  • Release Candidate (RC):

    A one-month period (still feature frozen) for final stabilization and testing before the official release. Fixes placed into the master branch will continue to be periodically merged to the *-maintenance branch during this period.

    This will be available in the App Firmware Flasher tab when Release and Release Candidates is selected.


    info

    "Show release candidates" must be activated on the Firmware Flasher tab in the Betaflight App.

  • Final:

    The suffixes are removed from the version, the code is tagged, the release prepared and then announced.

    This will be available in the App Firmware Flasher tab when the default of Release is selected.

  • Patch:

    Periodically we will make a patch release (incrementing the patch number) for any notable bugs that need resolving. These will generally be placed into master and backported to the *-maintenance branch.

    These will be available in the App Firmware Flasher tab when the default of Release is selected.

2025.12 Special Mention​

Important Note for the 2025.12.0 Release
  • For this first cycle, due to the timing since the last release, we are extending the RC period to two months. The Release Candidate phase will begin in October and run through November.
  • The 2025.12.0-beta pre-release will be made available today around 1200 UTC. Once in beta only bug fix pull requests will be merged, with all other items held over to the next alpha pre-release.

Questions​

If you have any questions please feel free to ask on the Betaflight Discord.