The Process Towards vNext Adoption

In order to clarify the process that the Mojaloop foundation, in collaboration with Community members, is going through on the road towards the adoption of vNext, I think it's important to highlight the purpose of each envisaged vNext release. This is in the context that, from the perspective of Production deployments, there is only ever one Mojaloop version, and vNext is part of the normal software evolutionary process of continual improvement.

The currently envisaged releases are:

• vNext Alpha, currently under review, is a feature-incomplete release intended for assessment and review by the Mojaloop Community. It is not intended for use by anyone other than the development and product management members of the community, and must NOT be considered for use in a Proof of Concept or Production deployment. The current review process is based on this release.
• vNext Beta will be released in due course. It is expected to be feature-complete in all essential elements, and reasonably stable. The current review process is aimed at contributing to the development backlog for the Beta release. The Beta is expected to be suitable for use in Proof of Concept deployments, including integrations with the test platforms of friendly DFSPs. However, it MUST NOT be considered for use in Production deployments. The Beta release will in turn be subject to review, and backlog items identified that must be completed before it can be used in Production.
• A vNext Release Candidate will be developed from the Beta release. Should all requirements be satisfied, the RC is expected to be adopted by the TGB and future official Mojaloop releases will be based on the new codebase, and will be suitable for use in Production environments. Upgrade paths from previous Mojaloop releases will be provided; previous versions of Mojaloop will continue be supported with bug fixes etc, though new features will only be added to the up to date Mojaloop release.

In the context of the appropriateness of different releases for deployments, Steve Haley remains responsible for Go To Market strategy and is always available for clarification with regard to the approach to be taken with potential adopters.