Software Release Candidate (RC)
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A Software Release Candidate (RC) is a software release that is considered to be stable and near completion.
- Context:
- It can be created by a RC Cut Process.
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Continuous Software Testing, Development Branch.
References
2023
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- A Release Candidate (RC) is a version of a software product that has undergone multiple stages of development, testing, and bug fixes and is now considered to be stable and near completion. It is a pre-release version that has reached a level of quality and functionality, making it a strong contender for being the software's final, publicly released version.
- When a software product reaches the Release Candidate stage, it typically means that:
- All planned features have been implemented.
- Known bugs and issues have been addressed and resolved.
- The software has undergone rigorous testing, including alpha and beta testing stages, and has demonstrated stability and performance.
- After an RC cut, the Release Candidate is shared with a wider group of users, such as beta testers, quality assurance teams, or even a limited audience of end users. These users test the software in real-world conditions to identify any remaining critical issues or bugs.
- If the Release Candidate passes this final round of testing and no major issues are discovered, it may be approved as the final release version of the software. However, if significant problems are found, the development team must fix them and create a new Release Candidate for further testing.
- The Release Candidate phase is crucial in the software development life cycle, ensuring that the software is stable, reliable, and ready for public release.