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Versioning and upgrades

Upgrades​

Running security-critical open source technology in a self-service format requires vigilance. We make your life easier by announcing important software updates via the Ory Security Newsletter. Never miss an update and sign up now to important release updates!

Good software improves over time. If it wouldn't, you shouldn't use it. Unfortunately, some of these improvements have breaking changes. We know that breaking changes are annoying so we want to make upgrading as painless as possible.

We document changelogs and upgrade guides for Ory services:

Before upgrading to a newer version, please make sure to check with these documents first.

Versioning​

Ory uses a calendar-based product versioning system, where the version format is YY.Q.N, representing the year, quarter, and release number within that quarter. For example, version 26.2.0 indicates a product release in the second quarter of 2026, with 0 being the first release in that quarter. The release number increases with each subsequent release during the quarter. With this system you can understand when a version was released and how recent it released. Starting from October 2025, all Ory components use a common versioning number, meaning releases are synchronized across all components such as Ory Kratos, Ory Hydra, Ory Oathkeeper, and Ory Keto. This unified versioning simplifies upgrades and ensures compatibility across the entire Ory ecosystem.