How do I version shared libraries and manage SONAMEs?

Versioning shared libraries and managing SONAMEs (Shared Object Name) in C++ is essential for maintaining compatibility as your library evolves. This involves using versioning techniques to ensure consumers of your library can choose the correct version while avoiding conflicts.

Steps to Version Shared Libraries

  1. Define your shared library versioning scheme (e.g., semantic versioning).
  2. Set the SONAME in your build configuration to reflect the current version.
  3. Maintain backward compatibility when making changes.
  4. Document changes and update the versioning consistently.

Example of Setting SONAME in CMake

# CMakeLists.txt cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10) project(MyLibrary) add_library(mylibrary SHARED mylibrary.cpp) # Set version and SOVERSION set_target_properties(mylibrary PROPERTIES VERSION 1.2.3 SOVERSION 1 )

Best Practices

  • When making breaking changes, increment the major version.
  • For new features, increment the minor version.
  • Bug fixes should lead to an increment in the patch version.

Managing SONAMEs and versioning appropriately helps prevent dependency hell and allows users to transition between library versions with ease.


shared libraries versioning SONAME C++ CMake semantic versioning library management

Related Questions

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::set in multithreaded code?

How do I find elements with custom comparators with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I reserve capacity ahead of time with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::unordered_map in multithreaded code?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map in multithreaded code?

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::map in performance-sensitive code?

How do I merge two containers efficiently with std::map for embedded targets?