SDK and runtime version number confusion 🥴

[mu88]

Hi,

I'm trying to fully understand the versioning schema of both the .NET SDK and runtime.

However, after reading the (very helpful 💪🏻) official docs, I'm confused: why is the .NET SDK v9.0.103 marked as released with .NET runtime v9.0.2 here although the first digit of the third position of SDK's version number equals to 1 and should therefore belong to the .NET runtime v9.0.1? 🤔

Imho this violates the following sentence from the docs, but I'm probably missing something 🤷🏻‍♂️

The third position of the SDK version number communicates both the minor and patch number. The minor version is multiplied by 100. [...]

Thx for some clarifying words

[huoyaoyuan]

9.0 SDKs that are included in 9.0.2 runtimes

The wording in versionof.net is really incorrect. Runtime is included in SDK. It's not in the opposite direction.

It's better to use 6.0.x or 8.0.x as an example for how the version number works, with a longer history.

A mapping table for first versions of 6.0.x and 8.0.x that can help you understand:

Runtime	SDK 6.0.1xx	SDK 6.0.2xx	SDK 6.0.3xx	SDK 6.0.4xx
6.0.0	6.0.100	-	-	-
6.0.1	6.0.101	-	-	-
6.0.2	6.0.102	6.0.200	-	-
6.0.3	6.0.103	6.0.201	-	-
6.0.4	6.0.104	6.0.202	-	-
6.0.5	6.0.105	6.0.203	6.0.300	-
...
6.0.36	6.0.136	-	-	6.0.428

Runtime	SDK 8.0.1xx	SDK 8.0.2xx	SDK 8.0.3xx	SDK 8.0.4xx
8.0.0	8.0.100	-	-	-
8.0.1	8.0.101	-	-	-
8.0.2	8.0.102	8.0.200 8.0.201	-	-
8.0.3	8.0.103	8.0.202 8.0.203	-	-
8.0.4	8.0.104	8.0.204	-	-
8.0.5	8.0.105	8.0.205	8.0.300	-

The upper part of third position of SDK version number is called feature band, it counts starting from 1. It contains new SDK-only features, and ships less frequently than runtime.
For each feature band, the patch version counts independently. Whenever there is a runtime patch to ship, there also needs to be an SDK patch version to include it. The N.0.1xx feature band is most stable, and often maps 1-by-1 to runtime patch. That is, for 6.0 and 8.0, SDK N.0.1xx maps strictly to Runtime N.0.xx through the entire lifetime. In other words, the lower part of third position of SDK version number should be compared with runtime version, not the upper part.

However, when there is urgent need to ship a SDK-only fix, the SDK can increase the patch version without waiting for a runtime patch to ship together. This applies to 8.0.201 and 8.0.203 in the table. 9.0 also has such a patch 9.0.101, so runtime 9.0.1 maps to SDK 9.0.102 instead of 9.0.101, runtime 9.0.2 maps to SDK 9.0.103 instead of 9.0.102, etc.

SDK feature band is totally unrelated to runtime patch version. 9.0.2 is the third version of 9.0 runtime, while 9.0.2xx is the second version of 9.0 SDK feature band.

[mu88]

amazing explanation, thank you!