[Geoserver-users] Versioning layers?

GeoServer GeoServer User
1

Hi,

we have a WFS, provided using GeoServer, for earthquake information in New Zealand. More details here:

http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/appdata/Earthquake+Web+Feature+Service

We plan to add more output to the geonet:quake layer. I guess this is potential for this being a breaking change for some clients. If I was changing a REST web service I would usually have a version number in the web service say for example:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/services/all.json

versus

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/services/2/all.json

Is this sort of approach (adding a version number into the URL) recommended with GeoServer and if so how is it best done?

Thanks,
Geoff

Geoff Clitheroe
GeoNet Development Manager
GNS Science - Te Pu Ao
DDI: +64-4-570 4762 GNS: 64-4-570 1444 Fax: +64-4-570 4676 Mobile: 027 480 3691
1 Fairway Drive, P.O. Box 30-368 Lower Hutt
New Zealand
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2

On Wed, May 1, 2013 at 1:42 AM, Geoff Clitheroe <G.Clitheroe@anonymised.com> wrote:

Hi,

we have a WFS, provided using GeoServer, for earthquake information in New
Zealand. More details here:

http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/appdata/Earthquake+Web+Feature+Service

We plan to add more output to the geonet:quake layer.

When you say more output, you mean more attributes?

I guess this is

potential for this being a breaking change for some clients. If I was
changing a REST web service I would usually have a version number in the web
service say for example:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/services/all.json

versus

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/services/2/all.json

Is this sort of approach (adding a version number into the URL) recommended
with GeoServer and if so how is it best done?

WFS does not have a notion of versioned schemas, I guess the easiest
thing, if you
want to preserve old clients, is to create a new feature type, and maybe use SQL
Views to setup a feature type with the old to the clients.

Cheers
Andrea

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