Re: Meaning of GDAL's git "stable" branch

Kurt Schwehr via gdal-dev <[email protected]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:39:36 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.comp.gis.gdal.devel
Message-ID <CACmBxyucyFj2xhdFLyL1xWibqHAopSEEg7HoDyfe5tdzbroUTA@mail.gmail.com>
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Thanks! That's exactly the info I needed.

-Kurt

On Thu, Jun 25, 2026 at 12:21=E2=80=AFPM Even Rouault <even.rouault@spatial=
ys.com>
wrote:

> Kurt,
>
> you pretty much figure it out yourself. This is *only* an artifact to
> workaround some RtD behavior about how the "stable" branch at
> https://gdal.org/en/stable/ is kept in sync with the latest git
> release/3.13 branch (we might have missed something, or that might be an
> issue that has been solved). There might a delay of few hours between a
> git commit and the corresponding run of the github CI job that does the
> resync, depending on the intensity of the activity in the OSGeo/GDAL
> repo, so the 2 hours delay you've noted seems OK to me
>
> We haven't advertized the use of this branch for builds of the software
> itself
>
> Even
>
> Le 25/06/2026 =C3=A0 20:56, Kurt Schwehr via gdal-dev a =C3=A9crit :
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm being asked the meaning of
> > https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/tree/stable and realized I don't really
> > know what that branch is all about. I'm likely just missing some
> > documentation or discussion, so I apologize in advance.
> >
> > I see in HOWTO-RELEASE, there is mention of `STABLE_BRANCH`. Is this
> > related?
> >
> >
> https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb734227f7e646fe7c41b59e316=
7d/HOWTO-RELEASE#L105-L121
> >
> > It points to
> > https://github.com/OSGeo/GDAL/settings/variables/actions/STABLE_BRANCH,
> > and it looks like git commits are from the current "STABLE_BRANCH"
> > (e.g., 3.13) are also pushed onto a "stable" branch:
> >
> >
> https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb734227f7e646fe7c41b59e316=
7d/.github/workflows/auto_tag_stable.yml#L49-L50
> >
> > There is a comment about a unique SHA so that ReadTheDocs gets run. It
> > looks that this is so that the "stable" Read the Docs link always has
> > the most recent text on the most current release branch whereas the
> > release/X.Y will be only updated when a release happens? That doesn't
> > seem right as right now stable is 4 hours ago and release/3/13 is 6
> > hours ago: https://app.readthedocs.org/projects/gdal/ e.g. for these:
> >
> > https://gdal.org/en/latest/
> > https://gdal.org/en/stable/
> > https://gdal.org/en/release-3.13/
> >
> > Do I have any of that correct and what is the semantic meaning of the
> > "stable" branch that users should read into it?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > -Kurt
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > gdal-dev mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
>
> --
> http://www.spatialys.com
> My software is free, but my time generally not.
> LLMs contribute to global warming and brain rot
>
>

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<div dir=3D"ltr">Thanks! That&#39;s exactly the info I needed.<br><br>-Kurt=
</div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr"=
 class=3D"gmail_attr">On Thu, Jun 25, 2026 at 12:21=E2=80=AFPM Even Rouault=
 &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]=
om</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margi=
n:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex=
">Kurt,<br>
<br>
you pretty much figure it out yourself. This is *only* an artifact to <br>
workaround some RtD behavior about how the &quot;stable&quot; branch at <br=
>
<a href=3D"https://gdal.org/en/stable/" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank=
">https://gdal.org/en/stable/</a> is kept in sync with the latest git <br>
release/3.13 branch (we might have missed something, or that might be an <b=
r>
issue that has been solved). There might a delay of few hours between a <br=
>
git commit and the corresponding run of the github CI job that does the <br=
>
resync, depending on the intensity of the activity in the OSGeo/GDAL <br>
repo, so the 2 hours delay you&#39;ve noted seems OK to me<br>
<br>
We haven&#39;t advertized the use of this branch for builds of the software=
 <br>
itself<br>
<br>
Even<br>
<br>
Le 25/06/2026 =C3=A0 20:56, Kurt Schwehr via gdal-dev a =C3=A9crit=C2=A0:<b=
r>
&gt; Hi all,<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; I&#39;m being asked the meaning of <br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/tree/stable" rel=3D"noreferre=
r" target=3D"_blank">https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/tree/stable</a> and real=
ized I don&#39;t really <br>
&gt; know what that branch is all about. I&#39;m likely just missing some <=
br>
&gt; documentation or discussion, so I apologize in advance.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; I see in HOWTO-RELEASE, there is mention of `STABLE_BRANCH`. Is this <=
br>
&gt; related?<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb734227f7e64=
6fe7c41b59e3167d/HOWTO-RELEASE#L105-L121" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_bla=
nk">https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb734227f7e646fe7c41b59e3=
167d/HOWTO-RELEASE#L105-L121</a><br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; It points to <br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://github.com/OSGeo/GDAL/settings/variables/actions/ST=
ABLE_BRANCH" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://github.com/OSGeo/=
GDAL/settings/variables/actions/STABLE_BRANCH</a>, <br>
&gt; and it looks like git commits are from the current=C2=A0&quot;STABLE_B=
RANCH&quot; <br>
&gt; (e.g., 3.13) are also pushed onto a &quot;stable&quot; branch:<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb734227f7e64=
6fe7c41b59e3167d/.github/workflows/auto_tag_stable.yml#L49-L50" rel=3D"nore=
ferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/6a231dc29bfeb7=
34227f7e646fe7c41b59e3167d/.github/workflows/auto_tag_stable.yml#L49-L50</a=
><br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; There is a comment about a unique SHA so that=C2=A0ReadTheDocs gets ru=
n. It <br>
&gt; looks that this is so that the &quot;stable&quot; Read the Docs link a=
lways has <br>
&gt; the most recent text on the most current release branch whereas the <b=
r>
&gt; release/X.Y will be only updated when a release happens? That doesn&#3=
9;t <br>
&gt; seem right as right now stable is 4 hours ago and release/3/13 is 6 <b=
r>
&gt; hours ago: <a href=3D"https://app.readthedocs.org/projects/gdal/" rel=
=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://app.readthedocs.org/projects/gdal=
/</a> e.g. for these:<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://gdal.org/en/latest/" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_=
blank">https://gdal.org/en/latest/</a><br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://gdal.org/en/stable/" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_=
blank">https://gdal.org/en/stable/</a><br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://gdal.org/en/release-3.13/" rel=3D"noreferrer" targe=
t=3D"_blank">https://gdal.org/en/release-3.13/</a><br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Do I have any of that correct and what is the semantic=C2=A0meaning of=
 the <br>
&gt; &quot;stable&quot; branch that users should read into it?<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Thanks!<br>
&gt; -Kurt<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; _______________________________________________<br>
&gt; gdal-dev mailing list<br>
&gt; <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">gdal-dev=
@lists.osgeo.org</a><br>
&gt; <a href=3D"https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev" rel=3D"n=
oreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-=
dev</a><br>
<br>
-- <br>
<a href=3D"http://www.spatialys.com" rel=3D"noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">h=
ttp://www.spatialys.com</a><br>
My software is free, but my time generally not.<br>
LLMs contribute to global warming and brain rot<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div>

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