Where can we see new versions that affect compatibility_date?

[clear marlin]

Hi! I understood that compatibility_date is just a date we can define without limits, and it will pick up changes until that date, right?

I was trying to find the list of versions, but at https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/configuration/compatibility-dates/#change-history it only mentions certain changes.

Actual changes are releases in the workerd repository? https://github.com/cloudflare/workerd/releases

If so, I couldn't find for example the version 2023-12-01, which is described at https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/configuration/compatibility-dates/#webcrypto-preserve-publicexponent-field, so it wouldn't really match 😦

Just asking because I would like to automate updating my dates whenever there is a new version with renovatebot, so that I could use this repository releases.

[strange kestrel]

There is some limits, for example I believe it won't let you publish a worker if the date is greater then the current

Workerd is where a lot of the Workers code lives and some of the compat date logic but not all of it afaik, some products are implemented in other ways like D1 and have their own logic

There is this file they constantly bump to the latest supported: https://github.com/cloudflare/workerd/blob/main/src/workerd/io/supported-compatibility-date.txt

Just asking because I would like to automate updating my dates whenever there is a new version with renovatebot, so that I could use this repository releases.
I don't think that's really what you want to do though, or necessarily a smart idea. Compat date is made to prevent breaking changes from bothering you. Unless you want a new feature, there's no reason to update it

[clear marlin]

Thanks for answering @strange kestrel ! 🙂

I am checking and that file you mention does reflect the same versions as the GitHub releases

[clear marlin]

Well, I guess it is the same arguments as always to keep things up to date. If I do not update often, and in 2 years suddenly I want the latest feature, I would need to update with many changes, which may mean a lot of breaking changes that then I need to figure out at once, instead of slow, keep up with new versions, being easier to detect issues as the delta is way smaller.

[strange kestrel]

If you just want a specific latest feature, you can always opt into just that one via compat flags

For every change, there is a flag to enable and a flag to disable

[strange kestrel]

It doesn't mean there was any new changes gated behind that though

For example, there's been none in 2024 so far

[clear marlin]

Mmm, so instead of defining dates, this could all work just with features to enable/disable 🤔

[strange kestrel]

The whole point of compat dates is so you don't have to work to constantly update your workers to keep them working

[clear marlin]

Okay! Got it! Thanks a lot @strange kestrel ! 😄

[strange kestrel]

yea imo you'd just be creating more work for yourself then is necessary/worth it. Most of the compat date gated changes were just weird behavior/things that would require potentially changing code, I don't think any being necessarily worth it to go through the trouble of constantly updating for unless you wanted a feature, and you can follow the change log and such if you are curious about ones coming out. That's just my opinion at least, and from what I've seen most people I know follow the same logic.