How Does Runtime Version Management Work?

General Q&A
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I am having a difficult time visualizing what I should be concerned about when upgrading my runtime version via App Settings when using runtime version control.

My understanding is that the "container version" dictates the maximum version for a possible "runtime version" (e.g. if an app has a runtime version of 4.99.0 but the container can only support up to 4.98.0, then the app runs on the latter, runtime version 4.98.0). However, if the container supports runtime 4.99.0, but the application runtime is 4.79.0, the application will use runtime version 4.79.0.

Assuming any of the above is correct, my questions are:

  1. What are the steps I should take if I want to quickly investigate whether or not an issue is either container-related or runtime-related?

  2. Runtime updates are applied over-the-air (OTA). Are container updates applied OTA as well?

Reference (slightly related): What is the difference between the JourneyApps Container and Runtime?

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First off, our official documentation on the runtime, container, and app versions can be found here

Regarding the specific questions:

1. What are the steps I should take if I want to quickly investigate whether or not an issue is either container-related or runtime-related? The runtime and the container are responsible for different things, and understanding the separation may help in debugging an issue. The container is responsible for interacting with the device the app is running on, and provides the runtime with APIs to access things like the camera, bluetooth and more. The runtime is responsible for interpreting the XML and JS that makes up the app source code, and presenting the app to the user. In other words, when we update functionality for UI components, that is a runtime update, whereas if a new Operating System needs to be supported, that might entail a container update.

The above distinction may help you to quickly narrow down whether an issue is runtime or container-related. But if it isn't clear when you are encountering an issue whether it is container or runtime related, you can also do the following:

  • Select an older or newer stable version of the Runtime under your app settings and see whether the issue persists.
  • Use an older or newer version of the container to see whether the issue persists.

Runtime updates are applied over-the-air (OTA). Are container updates applied OTA as well? Container updates are not applied over the air, no. The notable exception is that some Windows containers can be set to update automatically.

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