Breaking Change
/ˈbreɪkɪŋ tʃeɪndʒ/
Definition
An API change that is incompatible with existing clients, requiring them to update their integration.
Example in context
"Renaming a response field from 'user_id' to 'userId' is a breaking change — increment the major version."
Practice this term
Master Breaking Change in context by working through exercises in the API Design module. You'll see the term used in real engineering scenarios with multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching drills.