Add BRANCHES.md
Signed-off-by: Manuel Pégourié-Gonnard <manuel.pegourie-gonnard@arm.com>
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+# Maintained branches
+
+At any point in time, we have a number of maintained branches consisting of:
+
+- the development branch: this is where new features lands, as well as bug
+ fixes and security fixes
+- one or more LTS branches: these only get bug fixes and security fixes.
+
+We use [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/). In particular, we maintain
+API compatibility in the development branch between major version changes. We
+also maintain ABI compatibility within LTS branches; see the next section for
+details.
+
+## Backwards Compatibility
+
+If you have code that's working and secure with Mbed TLS x.y.z, then you
+should be able to re-compile it without modification with any later release
+x.y'.z' with the same major version number, and your code will still build, be
+secure, and work - unless it was relying on something that became insecure in
+the meantime (for example, crypto that was found to be weak). In case security
+comes in conflict with backwards compatibility, we will put security first,
+but always attempt to provide a compatibility option.
+
+For the LTS branches, additionally we try very hard to also maintain ABI
+compatibility (same definition as API except with re-linking instead of
+re-compiling) and to avoid any increase in code size or RAM usage, or in the
+minimum version of tools needed to build the code. The only exception, as
+before, is in case those goals would conflict with fixing a security issue, we
+will put security first but provide a compatibility option. (So far we never
+had to break ABI compatibility in an LTS branch, but we occasionally had to
+increase code size for a security fix.)
+
+## Currently maintained branches
+
+The following branches are currently maintained:
+
+- development (2.x.y releases)
+- Mbed TLS 2.16, maintained until at least the end of 2021, see
+ <https://tls.mbed.org/tech-updates/blog/announcing-lts-branch-mbedtls-2.16>
+- Mbed TLS 2.7 - end of life in March 2021!
+
+Users are urged to always use the latest version of a maintained branch.
