api-versioning-strategy

Comprehensive guide to API versioning approaches, deprecation strategies, backward compatibility techniques, and migration planning for REST APIs, GraphQL, and gRPC services.

aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts|Updated Apr 8, 2026

Works with

Claude CodeCursorClineWindsurfCodex

Installation Guide

Select your AI agent

How to use api-versioning-strategy on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

›Cursor installed and configured on your machine
›Node.js 16+ with npm — verify with node --version
›Active project directory where you want to add api-versioning-strategy

Run the install command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill api-versioning-strategy

Fetches api-versioning-strategy from aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts and configures it for Cursor.

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI shows a list of agents. Use arrow keys and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?

│

│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ────────────────

│ · Cline · Codex · Goose · Windsurf

│ ●Cursor(selected)

│ · Cursor · Aider · Continue

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/api-versioning-strategy

Restart Cursor to activate api-versioning-strategy. Access via /api-versioning-strategy in your agent's command palette.

⚠

Security Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your environment. Always review source, verify the publisher, and test in isolation before production.

›View source on GitHub ›Skills CLI docs ›About Cursor ›What are agent skills?

Documentation

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

Get started →

Use Cases

Task Automation & Efficiency

Automate repetitive workflows and reduce manual effort

Example

Generate reports, summarize documents, draft communications

✓

Save 3-5 hours per week on routine tasks

Knowledge Enhancement

Learn new skills, understand complex topics, get expert guidance

Example

Explain concepts, provide examples, suggest learning resources

✓

Accelerate learning and skill development by 2x

Quality Improvement

Enhance output quality through reviews, suggestions, and refinements

Example

Review drafts, suggest improvements, catch errors

✓

Improve work quality by 30-40% with less effort

When to Use

Designing new APIs with versioning from the start

Adding breaking changes to existing APIs

Deprecating old API versions

Planning API migrations

Ensuring backward compatibility

Managing multiple API versions simultaneously

Creating API documentation for different versions

Implementing API version routing

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

// express-router.ts import express from "express"; const app = express(); // Version 1 app.get("/api/v1/users", (req, res) => { res.json({ users: [{ id: 1, name: "John Doe" }], }); }); // Version 2 - Added email field app.get("/api/v2/users", (req, res) => { res.json({ users: [{ id: 1, name: "John Doe", email: "[email protected]" }], }); }); // Shared logic with version-specific transformations app.get("/api/:version/users/:id", async (req, res) => { const user = await userService.findById(req.params.id); if (req.params.version === "v1") { res.json({ id: user.id, name: user.name }); // ... (see reference guides for full implementation)

Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:

Guide

Contents

Versioning Approaches

Backward Compatibility Patterns

Deprecation Strategy

Migration Guide Example

Response Structure

Date Format

Date Format, Error Format

JavaScript/TypeScript

JavaScript/TypeScript, Python

GraphQL Versioning

gRPC Versioning

Version Detection & Routing

Testing Multiple Versions

Pattern 1: Version-Agnostic Core

Pattern 1: Version-Agnostic Core, Pattern 2: Feature Flags for Gradual Rollout, Pattern 3: API Version Metrics

Best Practices

✅ DO

Version from day one (even if v1)

Document breaking vs non-breaking changes

Provide clear migration guides with code examples

Use semantic versioning principles

Give 6-12 months deprecation notice

Monitor usage of deprecated APIs

Send deprecation warnings to API consumers

Support at least 2 versions simultaneously

Use adapters/transformers for version logic

Test all supported versions

Log which API version is being used

Provide migration tooling when possible

Be consistent with versioning approach

❌ DON'T

Change API behavior without versioning

Remove versions without notice

Support too many versions (>3)

Use different versioning strategies in same API

Break APIs without incrementing version

Forget to update documentation

Deprecate too quickly (<6 months)

Ignore feedback from API consumers

Make every change a new version

Use version numbers inconsistently

api-versioning-strategy

Installation Guide

How to use api-versioning-strategy on Cursor

Prerequisites

Run the install command

Select Cursor when prompted

Verify installation

Security Notice

Documentation

List & Monetize Your Skill

Use Cases

Task Automation & Efficiency

Knowledge Enhancement

Quality Improvement

Install Skill

API Versioning Strategy

Table of Contents

Overview

When to Use

Quick Start

Reference Guides

Best Practices

✅ DO

❌ DON'T

Implementation Guide

Best Practices

When to Use This

Learning Path

Related Skills

rest-api-design

root-cause-analysis

accessibility-testing

typescript-best-practices

java-springboot

google-search-console

Reviews

Discussion