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Software Engineering vocabulary · Release and Maintenance

Upgrade

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ʌpˈɡreɪd/verbCore term

In software engineering, upgrade means: To move to a newer, usually better version of software, a library or a tool, for example from Python 3.10 to Python 3.12.

In Turkish: yükseltmek, güncellemek, yeni sürüme geçmek

How it is used

You upgrade a dependency, a framework or a database 'to version X'. An upgrade can be a big project when there are breaking changes. The noun is stressed on the first syllable (an UPgrade), the verb often on the second (to upGRADE). The opposite is downgrade.

Example sentences

  1. We need to upgrade React before we can use the new compiler.

  2. The database upgrade is planned for Sunday night, when traffic is low.

Common collocations

  • upgrade to version
  • upgrade a dependency
  • major upgrade
  • upgrade path
  • dependencyA library, service or other piece of software that your code needs in order to work, so a change or failure in it can affect your project.
  • breaking changeA change to an API, library or file format that makes existing code that uses it stop working unless that code is updated too.
  • patchA small update that fixes bugs or security problems in software without adding big new features. It is also a verb: to patch a system.
  • deprecateTo officially mark a feature, function or API as outdated and not recommended, usually as a warning that it will be removed in a later version.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Release and Maintenance

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