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AWS SDK for .NET to Adopt Annual Target Updates Schedule

bloginfraawsgaengineer
announcement

Starting November 2026, the AWS SDK for .NET will transition to an annual schedule for adding and removing .NET build targets to align with modern .NET releases and improve performance. This predictable cadence aims to address customer confusion, reduce technical debt from outdated targets, and accelerate adoption of new .NET features. Developers using older .NET versions will need to either stay on a previous SDK minor version or update and potentially rely on the .NET Standard 2.0 target.

  • →Annual .NET Target Updates Schedule
  • →Rationale for Defined Schedule
  • →SDK Target Management Strategy
  • →Versioning and Compatibility
  • →Impact on Developers
Notes (5) ›
  • Annual .NET Target Updates Schedule

    The AWS SDK for .NET will begin a new annual schedule in November 2026 for adding and removing .NET build targets. This change aims to modernize the SDK's supported targets and leverage high-performance .NET APIs.

  • Rationale for Defined Schedule

    A defined schedule is introduced to combat customer confusion, reduce technical debt from lingering old targets, and ensure timely adoption of new .NET features. Previously, target additions were ad hoc, leading to potential misunderstandings and delays.

  • SDK Target Management Strategy

    Each year, the SDK will add the target for the current .NET release. If adding a new target would result in more than two Long Term Support (LTS) versions being supported, the oldest LTS version and any Standard Term Support (STS) versions preceding it will be removed. This provides an additional year of AWS SDK support beyond Microsoft's end-of-life for a .NET runtime.

  • Versioning and Compatibility

    While the product version will receive minor version bumps (e.g., V4.1, V4.2), the assembly version will remain 4.0.0. This practice ensures backward compatibility for third-party libraries compiled against V4.0.

  • Impact on Developers

    Most developers will experience a transparent update via NuGet. Those using .NET versions that are no longer actively targeted will need to either remain on a previous SDK minor version or update and potentially utilize the .NET Standard 2.0 version, which may omit target-specific optimizations.

Read the original announcement →

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/developer/annual-net-target-updates-for-the-aws-sdk-for-net/

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