Version alias: a name that moves on purpose
An alias is a convenience name that resolves to whatever version a vendor currently points it at. Its purpose is to change, so it appears on no deprecations table and nothing announces the day it moves. It is the closest thing to a default that a programmable interface offers. As of 2026-09-22.
| What it provides | What it removes |
|---|---|
| Access to the current recommended version | A row on a deprecations page to watch |
| No code change when a version ships | Any warning that output may change |
| Simpler examples and documentation | The ability to reproduce an earlier result |
| One fewer string to maintain | A date you can match to your own code |
Inclusion rule. Distinctions drawn from how the programmable entries in this register present their model names. Order. What it provides first, then what it removes.
1An alias is a silent swap with consent
Everything this register is arranged to make visible happens inside an alias by design. Output can change with no row on any table altering, because the change is the alias doing its job.
That is not a criticism of aliases. It is a reason not to use one for a production run, where the whole point is that the look does not move.
2The deprecations table is written for the other kind of caller
A page listing exact identifiers is a schedule for anybody whose code contains one of those strings. For an alias user it is a list of names they do not use, and nothing tells them which kind of caller they are.
So the same page is a planning document and background reading, depending on a choice made when the code was written.
3Pinning has its own cost
A pinned identifier can be matched to a date, and the date may be described as the earliest a model might go. So pinning buys a known runway of uncertain length rather than certainty.
The pinning page sets out what a version identifier covers and what it leaves moving, which is more than most teams assume.
A definition rather than a dated entry: no line above is a vendor statement. Where this word turns up in a real notice, the wording and the date are on the alias reading. Nearby terms: Version pinning, Model identifier, Model card.