beta21

Beta21 is a label used in software development to denote a late-stage beta release within a product’s versioning scheme. It does not refer to a single, universal product or standard; various projects may independently assign “beta21” to their twenty-first beta build in a given development cycle. When used, the tag signals that the software is feature-complete or near completion but still subject to significant testing and bug fixing before a stable release.

Origin and usage: The term “beta” comes from the software release lifecycle, following alpha and preceding release candidates or final releases. In systems that follow semantic versioning, pre-release identifiers such as beta or beta.21 are appended to the normal version, e.g., 2.5.0-beta.21, indicating iteration number and stability expectations. Some teams may use a compact form like beta21 in internal repositories, continuous integration pipelines, or external release notes.

Characteristics: A beta21 build typically includes new features or changes that have passed initial testing but remain subject to change. Users participating in beta testing provide feedback on usability, performance, and regressions. Release notes usually specify known issues, compatibility notes, and how to report bugs, with a targeted date for the final release or a release candidate.

Impact and considerations: As with other betas, beta21 releases are primarily intended for testers, early adopters, and partner developers. They are generally not recommended for production environments. Because the label is not standardized, its meaning can vary by project; consulting project-specific documentation is essential.

See also: Beta testing, Release candidate, Semantic versioning, Software versioning.