Realtime Compute for Apache Flink manages service changes and engine version changes through two complementary lifecycle policies:
Product lifecycle policy (PLP): governs the discontinuation of service types (for example, when Blink transitioned to Realtime Compute for Apache Flink)
Runtime lifecycle policy (RLP): governs the end-of-service of Ververica Runtime (VVR) engine versions
Understanding these policies helps you plan migrations before service types or engine versions reach end of service (EOS).
Scope
PLP and RLP apply to all service types and versions of Realtime Compute for Apache Flink. For a list of service types and their current release status, see Service types.
Product lifecycle policy (PLP)
PLP applies when a major service change occurs — for example, when Blink was updated to Realtime Compute for Apache Flink. The timeline for each PLP phase is not fixed. Before initiating PLP, the team evaluates the maturity of the new service type, user migration demand, smoothness of the migration process, and cost impact on users.
If PLP is initiated, users are notified at least four months in advance through announcements, internal messages, emails, or text messages.
Discontinuation phases
The following diagram shows the PLP discontinuation process.
The table below describes each phase and what you can do during it.
| Phase | Description | Allowed operations |
|---|---|---|
| Announcement to EOM | Users are notified at least four months before end of marketing (EOM). | New purchases: not allowed |
| EOM to EOFS | EOM has two sub-phases: EOM1 (new purchase orders not accepted) and EOM2 (new purchase and scaling orders not accepted). The entire EOM phase is at least four months. | New purchases: not allowed |
| EOFS to EOS | End of full service (EOFS): no new versions or patch versions are released; support services (Q&A, issue resolution, SLA compensation) are no longer provided. | New purchases: not allowed |
| EOS | The service type is discontinued. All support services end. | No services provided for this service type |
Operations summary
The table below shows which operations are available at each PLP phase.
| Operation | Announcement to EOM | EOM to EOFS | EOFS to EOS | EOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New purchases | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Renewals | Allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Unsubscription | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed | — |
| Configuration upgrade or downgrade | Allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Temporary updates | Allowed | — | — | — |
The table above is a quick reference. See the Discontinuation phases section for full details of each phase.
Runtime lifecycle policy (RLP)
RLP governs the lifecycle of VVR engine versions — from general availability (GA) to EOS. The timeline for each RLP phase is not fixed. Before initiating RLP, the team evaluates the compatibility and maturity of new versions and user demand for version updates.
If RLP is initiated, users are notified at least three months in advance through announcements, internal messages, emails, or text messages.
Key rules
Long-term support (LTS) versions: The final minor version of each major VVR version becomes the LTS version. For example, the LTS version of VVR 6.x is VVR 6.0.7. Alibaba Cloud maintains exactly two LTS versions at a time. When a new LTS version is released, the oldest LTS version reaches EOS and can no longer be selected when creating new deployments.
Critical issues: If a VVR version has critical security or stability issues, Alibaba Cloud shortens the RLP to three months and notifies affected users in a timely manner through the console or announcements.
RLP milestones
| Milestone | Description | Impact on deployments |
|---|---|---|
| General availability (GA) | The version is officially released for production use. | New and unstarted deployments: can select any non-EOS engine version. |
| EOS | Realtime Compute for Apache Flink no longer provides services or support for this version. | New deployments: cannot select this version. Important If a minor version has a critical defect causing major losses (such as security issues or data accuracy problems), the team may unpublish that minor version and migrate it to a compatible version. |
Notifications and support
Based on the lifecycle policy rules, Alibaba Cloud commits to:
Planning the lifecycle of each service type and engine version and providing relevant information during service consultation and use
Notifying users at least four months before each PLP milestone (service type changes)
Notifying users at least three months before each RLP milestone (engine version changes)
Helping users assess risks and providing migration solutions before service types or engine versions reach EOS
Notifications are sent through announcements, internal messages, emails, or text messages.
What's next
For Apache Flink engine version release notes and platform upgrade history, see Release notes.
For information about GeminiStateBackend and its performance compared with RocksDBStateBackend, see GeminiStateBackend.
For version updates and product activity notices, see Service notices of Realtime Compute for Apache Flink or log on to the Realtime Compute for Apache Flink console.