docs: add RELEASE_POLICY.md #11642

README.md

@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ Check out [Pinot documentation](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/) for a complete d
 - [Quick Demo](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/getting-started/running-pinot-locally)
 - [Pinot Architecture](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/basics/architecture)
 - [Pinot Query Language](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/users/user-guide-query/pinot-query-language)
+- [Release policy](RELEASE_POLICY.md)
 
 ## License
 Apache Pinot is under [Apache License, Version 2.0](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)

RELEASE_POLICY.md

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+<!--
+
+    Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+    or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
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+    regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+    to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+    "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+    with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+    software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+    "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+    KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+    specific language governing permissions and limitations
+    under the License.
+
+-->
+# Apache Pinot release policy
+
+This page is the in-repo summary of how Apache Pinot is versioned, published,
+and upgraded. Detailed notes live in the project documentation; this file is
+meant as a stable pointer for operators and for release trackers.
+
+## Version numbering
+
+Pinot releases use `major.minor.patch` tags of the form `release-X.Y.Z`
+(for example `release-1.5.0`, `release-1.5.1`).
+
+- A **minor** release (`X.Y.0`) is the usual feature line.
+- A **patch** release (`X.Y.Z`) is used for security and dependency fixes
+  without functional, API, configuration, or wire-format changes. Apache Pinot
+  1.5.1 is an example: a security patch on 1.5.0.
+
+GitHub tags and the [download page](https://pinot.apache.org/download/) are
+the canonical list of published versions.
+
+## Cadence
+
+Since Apache Pinot 1.0.0 (September 2023) the project has published on the
+order of two minor releases per year, with occasional patch releases between
+them:
+
+| Version | Date |
+| ------- | ---- |
+| 1.0.0 | September 2023 |
+| 1.1.0 | March 2024 |
+| 1.2.0 | August 2024 |
+| 1.3.0 | February 2025 |
+| 1.4.0 | September 2025 |
+| 1.5.0 | April 2026 |
+| 1.5.1 | June 2026 |
+
+This table is historical, not a commitment to a fixed calendar.
+
+Releases are cut through the Apache Software Foundation process (discussion
+and vote on the Pinot dev mailing list). Subscribe at
+`dev-subscribe@pinot.apache.org`.
+
+## Current stable and older builds
+
+The current stable release is listed on the
+[download page](https://pinot.apache.org/download/) and in the
+[version reference](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/start-here/pinot-versions).
+As of this writing that is **1.5.1**.
+
+- Production deployments should pin a specific release tag, not the `latest`
+  Docker tag. `latest` tracks nightly builds from the main branch.
+- Older binaries remain on <https://archive.apache.org/dist/pinot/>.
+
+## Compatibility and upgrades
+
+Pinot aims to keep releases backward-compatible and to introduce features in
+a compatible way, but a given cluster may still hit a combination of
+config/schema/data that was not covered in review.
+
+Before upgrading:
+
+1. Read the [release notes](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/reference/release-notes/releases)
+   for every version you will cross.
+2. Read the [upgrade notes](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/operate-pinot/upgrades)
+   for behavior changes, deprecations, and operator actions.
+3. Run the compatibility test suite (shipped since 0.8.0) against your
+   tables, schemas, and queries. See
+   [Upgrading Pinot](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/operate-pinot/upgrades/upgrading-pinot-cluster).
+
+Rolling upgrades of a cluster are the recommended path. If you have skipped
+several releases, review the incompatibility notes for the whole range and
+plan downtime if required.
+
+## Runtime support
+
+Published documentation currently states:
+
+| Requirement | Detail |
+| ----------- | ------ |
+| Pinot services (build and runtime) | JDK 25+ |
+| SPI and Java/JDBC client artifacts | JDK 11+ |
+| Last release with JDK 8 | 0.12.1 |
+
+See the [version reference](https://docs.pinot.apache.org/start-here/pinot-versions)
+for the live matrix. Client connectors that run inside Spark or Flink keep a
+lower bytecode baseline than the Pinot servers.
+
+## Support window
+
+Apache Pinot does **not** currently publish a calendar end-of-life date per
+minor line. The project recommends running a current stable release and
+reading the upgrade notes before moving between versions. Security patch
+releases (such as 1.5.1) are issued against the latest minor when needed.
+
+If you need a statement for compliance tooling, treat "current stable on
+the download page" as the supported line, and treat archive builds as
+available but not actively patched unless a patch release is published for
+that line.
+
+## Links
+
+- Downloads: https://pinot.apache.org/download/
+- All releases: https://docs.pinot.apache.org/reference/release-notes/releases
+- Version reference: https://docs.pinot.apache.org/start-here/pinot-versions
+- Upgrade guides: https://docs.pinot.apache.org/operate-pinot/upgrades
+- Compatibility tester: https://docs.pinot.apache.org/operate-pinot/upgrades/upgrading-pinot-cluster
+- Source tags: https://github.com/apache/pinot/tags