Michael Brenndoerfer | Data & AI, Private Equity, Technology

Michael Brenndoerfer

Maintenance and Updates › Handling Breaking Changes

Michael BrenndoerferAugust 22, 20252 min read

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Part 14 of 15Deployment and Operations - From Prototype to Production

Chapter 41Maintenance and Updates › Handling Breaking Changes

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Sometimes updates aren't smooth. An API you depend on might make a breaking change, forcing you to update your code.

Let's say your agent uses a calendar API, and that API changes its authentication method. Your current code uses an API key, but the new version requires OAuth tokens. You can't just update the API version because your authentication code won't work.

Here's how to handle this:

1. Understand the Full ImpactLink Copied

Read the migration guide the API provider published. What exactly needs to change? Is it just authentication, or are there other breaking changes?

2. Plan the MigrationLink Copied

Break the update into steps:

Implement OAuth authentication
Test authentication in development
Update API calls to use new auth
Test full functionality
Deploy to staging
Deploy to production

3. Implement Backward Compatibility (If Possible)Link Copied

If you can support both the old and new API versions temporarily, do so. This gives you flexibility to roll back if needed:

In[3]:

Code

def get_calendar_events(user_id):
    """Get calendar events using current API version"""
    if USE_NEW_API:
        # New OAuth-based API
        token = get_oauth_token(user_id)
        return new_calendar_api.get_events(token)
    else:
        # Old API key-based API
        return old_calendar_api.get_events(API_KEY)

You can deploy this code with USE_NEW_API = False, test that everything still works, then flip to USE_NEW_API = True when ready. If the new version has problems, you can flip back instantly.

4. Communicate with Users (If Needed)Link Copied

For major changes that might cause temporary disruption, let users know in advance:

"We're updating our calendar integration on November 15th to support new features. You may need to re-authenticate your calendar connection. The update will take approximately 30 minutes."

This sets expectations and reduces frustration if something goes wrong.