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Document what public API means #35715

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Document what public API means #35715

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85752db
Document what public API means
tkf May 3, 2020
53b45de
Tweak title: How does Julia define its public API?
tkf May 7, 2020
83ee22b
Try clarifying what "unstable" means
tkf May 7, 2020
d7ca01e
Improve FAQ
tkf May 13, 2020
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5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions doc/src/base/base.md
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Expand Up @@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ Some general notes:
* By convention, function names ending with an exclamation point (`!`) modify their arguments.
Some functions have both modifying (e.g., `sort!`) and non-modifying (`sort`) versions.

The behaviors of `Base` and standard libraries are stable as defined in
[SemVer](https://semver.org/) only if they are documented; i.e., included in the
[Julia documentation](https://docs.julialang.org/) and not marked as unstable.
See [API FAQ](@ref man-api) for more information.

## Getting Around

```@docs
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27 changes: 27 additions & 0 deletions doc/src/manual/faq.md
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Expand Up @@ -18,6 +18,33 @@ For similar reasons, automated translation to Julia would also typically generat

On the other hand, language *interoperability* is extremely useful: we want to exploit existing high-quality code in other languages from Julia (and vice versa)! The best way to enable this is not a transpiler, but rather via easy inter-language calling facilities. We have worked hard on this, from the built-in `ccall` intrinsic (to call C and Fortran libraries) to [JuliaInterop](https://github.com/JuliaInterop) packages that connect Julia to Python, Matlab, C++, and more.

## [Public API](@id man-api)

### How does Julia define its public API?

The only interfaces that are stable with respect to [SemVer](https://semver.org/) of `julia`
version are the Julia `Base` and standard libraries interfaces described in
[the documentation](https://docs.julialang.org/) and not marked as unstable (e.g.,
experimental and internal). Functions, types, and constants are not part of the public
API if they are not included in the documentation, _even if they have docstrings_.

### There is a useful undocumented function/type/constant. Can I use it?

Updating Julia may break your code if you use non-public API. If the code is
self-contained, it may be a good idea to copy it into your project. If you want to rely on
a complex non-public API, especially when using it from a stable package, it is a good idea
to open an [issue](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues) or
[pull request](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pulls) to start a discussion for turning it
into a public API. However, we do not discourage the attempt to create packages that expose
stable public interfaces while relying on non-public implementation details of `julia` and
buffering the differences across different `julia` versions.

### The documentation is not accurate enough. Can I rely on the existing behavior?

Please open an [issue](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues) or
[pull request](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pulls) to start a discussion for turning the
existing behavior into a public API.

## Sessions and the REPL

### How do I delete an object in memory?
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