Updates release notes and versioning to clarify 9.1.0

docset.yml

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 project: 'Elastic documentation'
 max_toc_depth: 2
 
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
   - 'raw-migrated-files/**'
 
 cross_links:
+  - apm-agent-android
+  - apm-agent-ios
   - apm-agent-dotnet
   - apm-agent-go
   - apm-agent-java
@@ -30,6 +32,8 @@
   - ecs-dotnet
   - ecs-logging
   - ecs-logging-go-zap
+  - ecs-logging-go-zerolog
+  - ecs-logging-go-logrus
   - ecs-logging-java
   - ecs-logging-nodejs
   - ecs-logging-php

get-started/versioning-availability.md

@@ -4,168 +4,212 @@ mapped_pages:
   - https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/starting-with-the-elasticsearch-platform-and-its-solutions/current/introducing-elastic-documentation.html
 products:
   - id: elastic-stack
+description: Learn how Elastic handles versioning and feature availability in the docs. Find the product versions that are supported, how to read availability badges, and...
 ---
 
-# Understanding versioning and availability
+# Versioning and availability in Elastic Docs
 
-On this page, you'll learn about our versioning systems, how to understand how we talk about versions and feature availability in our documentation, and where to find docs for your product version.
+Learn how Elastic Docs handles versioning, feature availability, and how to find the right documentation for your deployment type and product version. Find answers to common questions about the Elastic Stack versioning and confidently navigate our continuously updated documentation.
 
-## Elastic Stack versioning
+## Frequently asked questions
 
-{{es}} and the core components of the Elastic Stack use a semantic versioning scheme. This scheme consists of three numbers separated by periods in the form `X.Y.Z`, for example: `9.0.0`.
+### Where can I find documentation for the latest version of the {{stack}}?
 
-Each number represents a specific level of change:
+You’re in the right place! All documentation for Elastic Stack 9.0.0 and later is available at [elastic.co/docs](https://www.elastic.co/docs), including the latest {{version.stack| M.M}} version and any future versions in the 9.x series.
 
-- **Major (X)**: Indicates significant changes, such as new features, breaking changes, and major enhancements. Upgrading to a new major version may require changes to your existing setup and configurations.
-- **Minor (Y)**: Introduces new features and improvements, while maintaining backward compatibility with the previous minor versions within the same major version. Upgrading to a new minor version should not require any changes to your existing setup.
-- **Patch (Z)**: Contains bug fixes and security updates, without introducing new features or breaking changes. Upgrading to a new patch version should be seamless and not require any changes to your existing setup.
+Need docs for an earlier version? Go to [elastic.co/guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide).
 
-It's important to understand this versioning system, for compatibility and [upgrade](/deploy-manage/upgrade.md) planning.
+### Why doesn't Elastic have separate documentation for each version?
 
-## Availability of features
+Starting with {{stack}} 9.0.0, Elastic no longer publishes separate documentation sets for each minor release. Instead, all changes in the 9.x series are included in a single, continuously updated documentation set.
 
-Elastic products and features have different availability states across deployment types and lifecycle stages.
+This approach helps:
+* Reduce duplicate pages
+* Show the full history and context of a feature
+* Simplify search and navigation
 
-Features may have different availability states between:
+### How do I know content was added in a specific version?
 
-- **Deployment type**: The environment where the feature is available (Stack, Serverless, ECE, ECK, etc.)
-- **Lifecycle state**: The development or support status of the feature (GA, Beta, etc.)
-- **Version**: The specific version the lifecycle state applies to
+We clearly mark content added or changed in a specific version using availability badges. The availability badges appear in page headers, section headers, and inline.
 
-#### Lifecycle states
+#### Elastic Stack example
 
-| State | Description |
-|-------|-------------|
-| **Generally Available (GA)** | Production-ready feature (default if not specified) |
-| **Beta** | Feature is nearing general availability but not yet production-ready |
-| **Technical preview** | Feature is in early development stage |
-| **Unavailable** | Feature is not supported in this deployment type or version |
+```{applies_to}
+stack: ga 9.1
+```
 
-### Where feature availability may differ
+This means the feature is:
+* Available on Elastic Stack
+* Generally Available (GA)
+* Introduced in version 9.1.0
 
-Features may have different states between:
+#### Serverless example
 
-- **[Elastic Stack](the-stack.md)** versions (e.g., 9.0, 9.1)
-- **Deployment types** (and deployment versions)
-  - [Elastic Cloud Hosted](/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/cloud-hosted.md)
-  - [Elastic Cloud Serverless](/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/serverless.md)
-  - [Self-managed deployments](/deploy-manage/deploy/self-managed.md)
-  - [Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise.md)
-    - ECE deployment versions (for example, 4.0.0)
-  - [Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s.md)
-    - ECK deployment versions (for example, 3.0.0)
-- **Serverless project types**
-  - Security
-  - Elasticsearch
-  - Observability
+```{applies_to}
+serverless:
+  security: beta
+  elasticsearch: ga
+```
 
-### Important tips when reading the docs
+This means the feature is:
+* Generally Available for {{es}} Serverless projects
+* Beta for {{elastic-sec}} Serverless projects
 
-- Always check feature lifecycle state for your specific deployment type and version
-- Pay attention to Elastic Stack version requirements
-- Note that Serverless features may vary by project type
+#### Elastic Cloud Enterprise example
 
-### Availability badges in the docs
+```{applies_to}
+deployment:
+  ece: deprecated 4.1.0
+```
 
-Our documentation uses badges to help you quickly identify where and when features are available for your specific environment.
+This means the feature is:
+* Available on {{ece}}
+* Deprecated starting in version 4.1.0
 
-Badges can appear in two places:
-1. **Page headers**: Shows the overall availability across all deployment types
-2. **Section headers**: Indicates specific availability for content in that section
+:::{tip}
+Want to learn more about how availability badges are used? Check the [Elastic Docs syntax guide](https://elastic.github.io/docs-builder/syntax/applies/).
+:::
 
-### How to read the badges
+### What if I'm using a version earlier than {{stack}} 9.0.0?
 
-Here are some examples to help you understand how to read the availability badges.
+Documentation for {{stack}} 8.19.0 and earlier is available at [elastic.co/guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide).
 
-#### Example #1: Stack-only feature
+If a previous version for a specific page exists, you can select the version from the dropdown in the page sidebar. 
 
-```yaml {applies_to}
-stack: ga 9.1
-```
-- **Deployment type**: Elastic Stack
-- **Version**: 9.1.0+
-- **Lifecycle**: Generally Available (GA) — default state
+### How often is the documentation updated?
 
-#### Example #2: Serverless-only feature with project differences
+We frequently update Elastic Docs to reflect the following:
+* Minor versions, such as {{stack}} 9.1.0 
+* Patch-level updates, such as {{stack}} 9.1.1
+* Ongoing improvements to clarify and expand guidance
 
-```yaml {applies_to}
-serverless:
-  security: beta
-  elasticsearch: ga
-```
-- **Deployment type**: Serverless
-- **Lifecycle**:
-  - Beta for Security projects
-  - Generally Available for Elasticsearch projects
+To learn what's changed, check the [release notes](/release-notes/index.md) for each Elastic product.
 
-#### Example #3: Deprecated feature on one deployment type
+### How do I know what the current {{stack}} version is?
 
-```yaml {applies_to}
-deployment:
-  ece: deprecated 4.1.0
-```
-- **Deployment type**: Elastic Cloud Enterprise
-- **Lifecycle**: Deprecated
-- **Version**: 4.1.0
+To make sure you're always viewing the most up-to-date and relevant documentation, the version dropdown at the top of each page shows the most recent 9.x release. For example, 9.0+.
 
-:::{tip}
-For contributors and those interested in the technical details, see the [Elastic docs syntax guide](https://elastic.github.io/docs-builder/syntax/applies/) for more information on how these badges are implemented.
-:::
+## Understanding {{stack}} versioning
 
-## Find docs for your product version
+{{stack}} uses semantic versioning in the `X.Y.Z` format, such as `9.0.0`.
 
-In April 2025, we released our new documentation site. This site includes documentation for our latest product versions.
+| Version | Description |
+|-------|-------------|
+| **Major (X)** | Indicates significant changes, such as new features, breaking changes, and major enhancements. Upgrading to a new major version may require changes to your existing setup and configurations. |
+| **Minor (Y)** | Introduces new features and improvements, while maintaining backward compatibility with the previous minor versions within the same major version. Upgrading to a new minor version should not require any changes to your existing setup. |
+| **Patch (Z)** | Contains bug fixes and security updates, without introducing new features or breaking changes. Upgrading to a new patch version should be seamless and not require any changes to your existing setup. |
 
-To access our previous documentation system, which contains the documentation for releases prior to those listed below, go to [elastic.co/guide](https://elastic.co/guide).
+Understanding {{stack}} versioning is essential for [upgrade planning](/deploy-manage/upgrade.md) and ensuring compatibility.
 
-You can access the previous version of a specific page, where available, by clicking the **View previous version** link in the sidebar.
+## Availability of features
 
-The following product versions are documented on this site:
+The features available to you can differ based on deployment type, product lifecycle stage, and specific version.
 
-#### Core products and deployment methods
+### Feature availability factors
 
-| Product | Version |
-| --- | --- |
-| {{stack}}<br><br>Includes {{es}}, {{kib}}, {{ls}}, {{fleet}}, <br>{{agent}}, Beats, APM, and query languages | 9.0.0+ |
-| Security solution | 9.0.0+ |
-| Observability solution | 9.0.0+ |
-| {{serverless-full}} (all project types) | All |
-| {{ech}} | All*  |
-| {{ece}} | 4.0.0+ |
-| {{eck}} | 3.0.0+ |
+| Factor | Description |
+|-------|-------------|
+| **Deployment type** | The environment where the feature is available, for example, {{stack}}, {{serverless-full}}, {{ece}} (ECE), {{eck}} (ECK) |
+| **Lifecycle state** | The development or support status of the feature, for example, GA and Beta |
+| **Version** | The specific version the lifecycle state applies to |
+
+### Lifecycle states
+
+| Lifecycle state | Description |
+|-------|-------------|
+| **Generally Available (GA)** | Production-ready feature. When unspecified, GA is the default |
+| **Beta** | Feature is nearing general availability but not yet production-ready |
+| **Technical preview** | Feature is in early development stage |
+| **Unavailable** | Feature is not supported in this deployment type or version |
+
+### Examples of where availability can vary
 
-\* Excludes release notes before January 2025
+| Category | Example |
+|-------|-------------|
+| **Elastic Stack versions** | [Elastic Stack](the-stack.md) version 9.0.0 and later, including 9.1.0 |
+| **Deployment types** | [Elastic Cloud Serverless](/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/serverless.md), [Elastic Cloud Hosted](/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/cloud-hosted.md), [Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise.md), [Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s.md), and [Self-managed deployments](/deploy-manage/deploy/self-managed.md) |
+| **Deployment versions** | [Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise.md) 4.0.0 and later, [Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK)](/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s.md) 3.0.0 and later |
+| **Serverless project types** | {{es}}, {{observability}}, and {{elastic-sec}}
+
+## Find docs for your product version
+
+Find the documentation for your Elastic product versions or releases.
 
-#### Schemas, libraries, and tools
+### Elastic Stack product versions
 
 | Product | Version |
 | --- | --- |
-| Elastic Common Schema | 9.0.0+ |
-| ECS logging Java library | 1.x+ |
-| Other ECS logging libraries | All |
-| {{es}} API clients | 9.0.0+ |
-| {{es}} for Apache Hadoop | 9.0.0+ |
-| Curator | 8.0+ |
-| Elastic Cloud Control (ECCTL) | 1.14+ |
-| Elastic Serverless Forwarder | All |
-| Elastic integrations | All |
-| Elastic Search UI library | All |
-
-#### APM agents and tools
+| [Elasticsearch](elasticsearch://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Kibana](kibana://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Fleet and Elastic Agent](/release-notes/fleet-elastic-agent/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Logstash](logstash://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Beats](beats://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Observability](/release-notes/elastic-observability/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM](apm-server://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Security](/release-notes/elastic-security/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+
+### Deployment type versions or releases
+
+| Product | Version or release |
+| --- | --- |
+| All [Elastic Cloud Serverless](/release-notes/elastic-cloud-serverless/index.md) project types | All releases |
+| [Elastic Cloud Hosted](cloud://release-notes/cloud-hosted/index.md) | All releases for January 2025 and later  |
+| [Elastic Cloud Enterprise](cloud://release-notes/cloud-enterprise/index.md) | 4.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes](cloud-on-k8s://release-notes/index.md) | 3.0.0 and later |
+
+### Schema, library, and tool versions
+
+| Product | Version or release
+| --- | --- |
+| [Elasticsearch Java Client](elasticsearch-java://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch JavaScript Client](elasticsearch-js://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch .NET Client](elasticsearch-net://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch PHP Client](elasticsearch-php://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch Python Client](elasticsearch-py://release-notes/index.md)  | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch Ruby Client](elasticsearch-ruby://release-notes/index.md)  | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Common Schema (ECS)](ecs://release-notes/index.md)  | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [ECS Logging .NET library](ecs-dotnet://reference/index.md) | 8.18.1 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Go (Logrus) library](ecs-logging-go-logrus://reference/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Go (Zap) library](ecs-logging-go-zap://reference/index.md) | 1.0.3 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Go (Zerolog) library](ecs-logging-go-zerolog://reference/index.md) | 0.2.0 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Java library](ecs-logging-java://reference/index.md) | 1.x and later |
+| [ECS Logging Node.js library](ecs-logging-nodejs://reference/index.md) | 1.5.3 and later |
+| [ECS Logging PHP library](ecs-logging-php://reference/index.md) | 2.0.0 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Python library](ecs-logging-python://reference/index.md) | 2.2.0 and later |
+| [ECS Logging Ruby library](ecs-logging-ruby://reference/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop](elasticsearch-hadoop://release-notes/index.md) | 9.0.0 and later |
+| [Elasticsearch Curator](curator://reference/index.md) | 8.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Cloud Control (ECCTL)](ecctl://release-notes/index.md) | 1.14.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Serverless Forwarder for AWS](elastic-serverless-forwarder://reference/index.md) | 1.20.1 and later |
+| [Elastic integrations](https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/integrations/all_integrations) | All versions |
+| [Search UI JavaScript library](search-ui://reference/index.md) | 1.24.0 and later |
+
+### APM agent and tool versions
 
 | Product | Version |
 | --- | --- |
-| APM Android agent | 1.x+ |
-| APM .NET agent | 1.x+ |
-| APM Go agent | 2.x+ |
-| APM iOS agent | 1.x+ |
-| APM Java agent | 1.x+ |
-| APM Node.js agent | 4.x+ |
-| APM PHP agent | All |
-| APM Python agent | 6.x+ |
-| APM Ruby agent | 4.x+ |
-| APM Real User Monitoring JavaScript agent | 5.x+ |
-| APM attacher for Kubernetes | All |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Android](apm-agent-android://release-notes/index.md) | 0.1.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry iOS](apm-agent-ios://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Java](elastic-otel-java://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry .NET](elastic-otel-dotnet://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Node.js](elastic-otel-node://release-notes/index.md) | 0.1.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Python](elastic-otel-python://release-notes/index.md) | 0.1.0 and later |
+| [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry PHP](elastic-otel-php://release-notes/index.md) | 0.1.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM .NET Agent](apm-agent-dotnet://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Go Agent](apm-agent-go://release-notes/index.md) | 2.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Java Agent](apm-agent-java://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Node.js Agent](apm-agent-nodejs://release-notes/index.md) | 4.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM PHP Agent](apm-agent-php://release-notes/index.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Python Agent](apm-agent-python://release-notes/index.md) | 6.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Ruby Agent](apm-agent-ruby://release-notes/index.md) | 4.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Real User Monitoring JavaScript Agent](apm-agent-rum-js://release-notes/index.md) | 5.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM AWS Lambda extension](apm-aws-lambda://release-notes/release-notes.md) | 1.0.0 and later |
+| [Elastic APM Attacher for Kubernetes](apm-k8s-attacher://reference/index.md) | 1.1.3 |
+
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