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+# `rules_rust` backwards compatibility policy
+
+This document defines the backwards compatibility policy for rules_rust and
+defines the process for making compatibility breaking changes. Any exception to
+this process will have to be thoroughly discussed and there will have to be a
+consensus between maintainers that the exception should be granted.
+
+## What is a compatibility breaking change?
+
+A backwards compatible change has the property that a build that is green,
+correct, is using stable APIs of `rules_rust`, and is using a supported version
+of Bazel before the change is still green and correct after the change. In
+practice it means that users should not have to modify their project source
+files, their `BUILD` files, their `bzl` files, their `rust_toolchain`
+definitions, their platform definitions, or their build settings.
+
+A backwards compatible release has the property that it only contains backward
+compatible changes.
+
+`rules_rust` follow [SemVer 2.0.0](https://semver.org/). `rules_rust` promise
+that all minor version number and patch version number releases only contain
+backwards compatible changes.
+
+`rules_rust` don't make any guarantees about compatibility between a released
+version and the state of the `rules_rust` at HEAD.
+
+Backwards incompatible changes will have to follow a process in order to be
+released. Users will be given at least one release where the old behavior is
+still present but deprecated to allow smooth migration of their project to the
+new behavior.
+
+### Compatibility before 1.0
+
+All minor version number releases before version 1.0 can be backwards incompatible.
+Backwards incompatible changes still have to follow the the process, but minimum
+time for migration is reduced to 2 weeks.
+
+## What Bazel versions are supported?
+
+`rules_rust` support the current Bazel LTS at the time of a `rules_rust`
+release.
+
+Support for the current Bazel rolling release is on the best effort basis. If
+the CI build of `rules_rust` against the current Bazel rolling release is green,
+it has to stay green. If the build is already red (because the new Bazel rolling
+release had incompatible changes that broke `rules_rust`), it is acceptable to
+merge PRs leaving the build red as long as the reason for failure remains the
+same. We hope red CI with the current rolling release will be rare.
+
+`rules_rust` don't promise all new `rules_rust` features available to the
+current Bazel rolling release to be be available to the current Bazel LTS
+release (because Bazel compatibility policy doesn't allow us to make that
+promise, and some new features of `rules_rust` require new Bazel features that
+are only available in Bazel rolling releases). `rules_rust` will aim that new
+features available to the current Bazel rolling release will be available to the
+next Bazel LTS release at latest.
+
+Whenever there is a new Bazel LTS release, all releases of `rules_rust` will maintain
+support for the older LTS version for at least 3 months unless Bazel doesn't allow this.
+
+## What host platforms are supported?
+
+Platforms subject to backwards compatibility policy are
+`x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` and `x86_64-apple-darwin` (platforms supported by `rules_rust`).
+Process for moving a best effort platform to a supported platform is consensus-based.
+
+## What are the stable APIs of `rules_rust`?
+
+`//rust:defs.bzl` is subject to the backwards compatibility policy. That means
+that anything directly accessible from this file is considered stable.
+
+`//rust/private/…` is not subject to the backwards compatibility policy. Content
+of this package is an implementation detail.
+
+`//cargo:cargo_build_script.bzl` is subject to the backwards compatibility policy.
+
+`//cargo`, `//util`, `//tools`, `//test`, `//examples`, `//bindgen`, `//proto`,
+`//wasm_bindgen` and any packages not mentioned by this document are by default
+not subject to the backwards compatibility policy.
+
+Experimental build settings are not subject to the backward compatibility
+policy. They should be added to `//rust:experimental.bzl`.
+
+Incompatible build settings are subject to the backward compatibility policy,
+meaning the behavior of the flag cannot change in a backwards incompatible way.
+They should be added to `//rust:incompatible.bzl`.
+
+Bug fixes are not a breaking change by default. We'll use Common Sense (and we
+will pull in more maintainers and the community to discuss) if we see a certain
+bug fix is controversial. Incompatible changes to
+`//cargo:cargo_build_script.bzl` that make `cargo_build_script` more accurately
+follow cargo's behaviour are considered bug fixes.
+
+## How to make a backwards incompatible change?
+
+1. Create a GitHub issue (example:
+[Split rust_library into smaller rules#591](https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_rust/issues/591)).
+2. Describe the change, motivation for the change, provide migration
+instructions/tooling.
+3. Add a build setting into `//rust:incompatible.bzl` that removes the old
+behavior (whenever possible) or changes the current behavior (when just
+removing the old behavior is not possible). Ideally, users should not need to
+manually flip incompatible flags.
+4. Mention the link to the GitHub issue in error messages. Do not add a
+deprecation warning (warnings make the deprecation visible to every user
+building a project, not only to the maintainers of the project or the rules).
+5. Mention the issue in the `CHANGELOG` file.
+6. Give the community 3 months from the first release mentioning the issue until
+the flag flip to migrate.