Schema Evolution

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, breaking change detection, schema migration strategies, and versioning patterns for REST APIs, event streaming (Kafka/Avro), GraphQL, database schemas, and Protocol Buffers.

URL: https://github.com/api-evangelist/schema-evolution

Tags

• Schema Evolution, Backward Compatibility, Forward Compatibility, API Versioning, Breaking Changes, Schema Registry, Data Migration, Kafka

Timestamps

• Created: 2026-05-02
• Modified: 2026-05-02

APIs

Confluent Schema Registry API

The Confluent Schema Registry provides a RESTful interface for storing and retrieving your Avro, JSON Schema, and Protobuf schemas with versioned history and configurable compatibility settings.

Human URL: https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/schema-registry/develop/api.html

Tags

• Schema Registry, Confluent, Kafka, Avro, Compatibility

Properties

• Documentation
• Reference

AWS Glue Schema Registry API

AWS Glue Schema Registry enables centralized discovery, control, and evolution of data stream schemas with Avro and JSON Schema support.

Human URL: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/schema-registry.html

Tags

• AWS, Schema Registry, Cloud, Avro

Properties

• Documentation

Apicurio Schema Registry API

Apicurio Registry is an open-source datastore for standard event schemas and API designs, supporting Avro, JSON Schema, Protobuf, and GraphQL SDL with configurable compatibility rules.

Human URL: https://www.apicur.io/registry/

Tags

• Schema Registry, Open Source, Avro, Compatibility

Properties

• Documentation
• GitHub Repository

Common Properties

• Website
• JSON-LD
• Vocabulary

JSON Schema

Schema	Description
schema-evolution-change-schema.json	Schema representing a single schema change event

JSON Structure

Structure	Description
schema-evolution-compatibility-structure.json	Structural documentation for compatibility types and evolution strategies

JSON-LD

Context	Description
schema-evolution-context.jsonld	JSON-LD context for schema evolution vocabulary

Examples

Example	Description
schema-evolution-backward-compatible-example.json	Backward compatible Avro schema change with new optional fields

Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Description
schema-evolution-vocabulary.yml	Schema evolution domain terminology and concepts

Maintainers

FN: API Evangelist

Email: info@apievangelist.com