Updates to our breaking change policy

To help improve our transparency when making changes within Auto Trader Connect and to become clearer on the severity of the changes we are making, we have introduced a Breaking Change Policy.

Why are we introducing this policy?

This policy will help make expectations clear between Auto Trader & Partners about how different types of changes to our platform will be managed and therefore provide better clarity on what work may be required by a Partner to ensure as little disruption as possible for retailers and creating the best experience possible. These changes will be classified as either Breaking or Non-breaking.

Additionally, by providing classification of changes, we can help Partners plan ahead and ensure that critical work is completed before the changes are introduced.

Breaking vs Non-breaking changes

Breaking Changes

A breaking change is defined as a change to our API platform that could require a change to your integration to avoid any disruption and will require investigation. These changes will be communicated and advised at a minimum of 30 days ahead of the change (this period between advisory and implementation can vary change by change).

Non-breaking Changes

A non-breaking change is defined as a change to our API platform that will not result in any disruption to clients’ systems. These changes will be communicated as part of our normal release process after the changes have been implemented. It’s important that clients have the necessary processes in place to ensure these types of changes can be safely handled without prior notice.

A full detailed breakdown of our breaking change policy and how each change is classified can be found in our developer documentation here.

If you have any questions or concerns about the new policy please do not hesitate to reach out to our Partner Team on: autotraderpartnerteam@autotrader.co.uk