Schema Evolution

name: Schema Evolution
description: >-
  Schema Evolution is the practice of managing changes to data schemas over time while preserving compatibility between
  producers and consumers. It covers backward compatibility, forward compatibility, full compatibility, breaking change
  detection, schema migration strategies, and versioning patterns for REST APIs, event streaming (Kafka/Avro), GraphQL,
  database schemas, and Protocol Buffers. Effective schema evolution is critical for maintaining API contracts and
  enabling independent deployment of distributed system components.
url: https://github.com/api-evangelist/schema-evolution
kind: topic
tags:
- Schema Evolution
- Backward Compatibility
- Forward Compatibility
- API Versioning
- Breaking Changes
- Schema Registry
- Data Migration
- Kafka
created: '2026-05-02'
modified: '2026-05-19'
apis:
- name: Confluent Schema Registry API
  description: >-
    The Confluent Schema Registry provides a serving layer for your metadata. It provides a RESTful interface for
    storing and retrieving your Avro, JSON Schema, and Protobuf schemas. It stores a versioned history of all schemas
    based on a specified subject name strategy, provides multiple compatibility settings and allows evolution of
    schemas according to the configured compatibility setting. It is used by Kafka producers and consumers to enforce
    schema compatibility when reading and writing Kafka messages.
  humanURL: https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/schema-registry/develop/api.html
  baseURL: https://your-schema-registry-host/
  tags:
  - Schema Registry
  - Confluent
  - Kafka
  - Avro
  - Compatibility
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/schema-registry/develop/api.html
  - type: Reference
    url: https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/schema-registry/fundamentals/schema-evolution.html
  - url: openapi/schema-evolution-openapi.yml
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: graphql/schema-evolution-graphql.md
    type: GraphQL
- name: AWS Glue Schema Registry API
  description: >-
    AWS Glue Schema Registry is a feature that enables you to centrally discover, control, and evolve data stream
    schemas. The AWS Glue Schema Registry API supports creating, deleting, listing, updating, and fetching schemas,
    and it supports compatibility checking for Avro and JSON Schema formats.
  humanURL: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/schema-registry.html
  baseURL: https://glue.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
  tags:
  - AWS
  - Schema Registry
  - Cloud
  - Avro
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/schema-registry.html
- name: Apicurio Schema Registry API
  description: >-
    Apicurio Registry is a datastore for standard event schemas and API designs. Apicurio Registry enables you to add,
    update, and remove artifacts from the registry using a REST API interface. It supports Apache Avro, JSON Schema,
    Protobuf, GraphQL SDL, and more, with configurable compatibility rules including backward, forward, and full
    compatibility.
  humanURL: https://www.apicur.io/registry/
  baseURL: https://registry.example.com/apis/registry/v2
  tags:
  - Schema Registry
  - Open Source
  - Avro
  - Compatibility
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://www.apicur.io/registry/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/Apicurio/apicurio-registry
common:
- type: Website
  url: https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/schema-registry/fundamentals/schema-evolution.html
- type: JSONSchema
  url: json-schema/schema-evolution-change-schema.json
- type: JSONStructure
  url: json-structure/schema-evolution-compatibility-structure.json
- type: JSONLDContext
  url: json-ld/schema-evolution-context.jsonld
- type: Vocabulary
  url: vocabulary/schema-evolution-vocabulary.yml
maintainers:
- FN: API Evangelist
  email: info@apievangelist.com