Product lifecycle phases

As the AppDirect platform evolves, products and features are added and occasionally removed. Sometimes significant features might not be available to all AppDirect customers immediately, but are instead released in phases, starting with a limited number of customers and with limited support, then gradually becoming available to all customers. Additionally, there are times when existing platform functionality is removed, usually when it is replaced by an enhanced version of the same feature. In those cases, customers have a period of time to migrate to the new features. In the interim, the existing features are still supported.

Phase details

This section defines the various stages of the feature lifecycle and describes the different levels of availability, support, and feature completeness in each phase, as well as the typical length of each phase. AppDirect communicates status changes beforehand in the weekly release notes. Any documentation topics related to the feature contain notices that indicate which phase (other than Generally Available) the feature is in.

📝 Note: Some AppDirect customers work with AppDirect Digital Transformation Services (DTS) on marketplace customizations. The guidelines, definitions, and timelines described in this document do not apply to any custom work or features that DTS provides.

Summary

Phase	Duration	Availability	Commercial use	SLA	Support	Documentation
Preview	3-6 months	Selected customers	No (testing only)	No	Limited	Partial
Early Availability	3-6 months	Selected customers	Yes (target use cases)	Yes	Full	Complete for one or more specific use cases
General Availability	--	All customers	Yes	Yes	Full	Complete
Deprecated	6 months1	Existing customers only	Yes	Yes	Full	Complete
Retired	6 months1	Existing customers only	Yes	No	None	Complete
Decommissioned	N/A	Unavailable	N/A	N/A	N/A	None

1 - Duration could be shortened for platform security or other issues that AppDirect deem to be time-sensitive.

Preview

Features in Preview are available to a small number of AppDirect customers who would like to access the feature and can provide feedback on usability, functionality, and documentation. Customers who use these features should expect regular (for example, bi-weekly) meetings with the product development team as part of the preview. These meetings help to gather and communicate progress.

Service-level agreements (SLAs) do not apply to features in Preview, and support is limited to high-priority bugs. Performance is still being fine-tuned. AppDirect informs participants of known issues and limitations.

Features in Preview are subject to change. Not all features in Preview progress to subsequent lifecycle phases and might be decommissioned. As such, customizations based on features in Preview are discouraged.

Early Availability

Features in Early Availability are available in production to a limited number of customers based on fit with one or more specific use cases. SLAs do apply and support is available for participating customers. Features should perform well for the selected customers and at limited transaction volume for the targeted use cases. AppDirect informs participants of known issues and limitations.

General Availability

Features in General Availability are available in production to all new and existing customers. Depending on the features in question, some customers might be able to access the new functionality immediately, whereas others might not be able to if they do not own certain related products. For example, a feature related to a network of multiple marketplaces requires the customer to purchase or to already have purchased the Network Add-On product before they can use the new feature, even if the feature itself is “generally available.”

Features in General Availability have full documentation and support. SLAs apply. Features perform as intended and support all standard use cases.

Deprecated

Sometimes AppDirect removes features, for example if a new version of an existing feature is released. In such cases, features are deprecated. AppDirect provides at least three months' notice before a feature enters the Deprecated phase, and the phase itself lasts six months (in exceptional circumstances, the duration might be shortened). Existing customers who already use the feature can continue to do so with full support and applicable SLAs. However, no new customers can adopt Deprecated features.

During this phase, customers who use the feature are strongly encouraged to migrate to the replacement solution.

See Product features in Deprecated or Retired status for a list of deprecated products.

Retired

After the Deprecated phase, features transition to the Retired phase, which lasts six months (in exceptional circumstances, the duration might be shortened). Existing customers who already use the feature can continue to do so, although no further support is provided, and SLAs no longer apply.

During this phase, customers who use the feature are strongly encouraged to migrate to the replacement solution.

See Product features in Deprecated or Retired status for a list of retired products.

Decommissioned

After the Retired phase, features are decommissioned. At this point, the feature and any related API endpoints are removed from production environments. Public documentation is also removed. This phase is the end of the product or feature lifecycle.