Release Channels#

Rust development follows a train-like release shedule. All new work happens on the master branch (i.e., the “nightly” channel), and release move forward like trains leaving stations every six weeks.

There are three main release channels :

• nightly : updated every day with the latest, experimental features. It’s unstable and mainly for developers who want to try cutting-edge Rust.
• beta : updated every six weeks, this channel is a testing ground for features planned to appear in the next stable release.
• stable : the official, production-ready Reust version updated every six weeks.

How the Release Process Works#

1. New features land on master and become avaliable in the nightly builds, released every day.
2. Every six weeks, the current state of master is branched off to create the beta branch. Beta users test the upcoming release in their CI pipelines to catch regressions early.
3. If bugs are found on beta, they get fixed on master, then backported to beta, ensuring nightly and beta stay stable.
4. After another six weeks of testing, the beta branch is promoted to stable and officially release.

Maintenance and Support#

Each stable Rust version is supported for six weeks, until the next stable release arrives. After that, it reaches end-of-life (EOL) and no longer receives updates.

Unstable Features and Feature Flags#

• If you want to try new, in-progress features, you must use nightly and explicitly enable the feature flags.
• On beta or stable, feature flags are disabled to guarantee stability.