FirebaseExtended / FirebaseExtended/reactfire
Add a published .d.ts diff to the release process to catch breaking type changes
- Dominant language
- TypeScript
- Stars
- 3.6k
- Forks
- 403
- Avg merge
- 14h 53m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 5
Description
## Problem
4.2.4 shipped as a patch but contained breaking TypeScript type changes with no changelog note. The main one: `ObservableStatus` was refactored from a flat interface (`data: T`) into a discriminated union (`data: T | undefined` unless narrowed on `status`), which breaks the standard destructure-and-use pattern across every data hook, including the documented suspense pattern. It is type-only (no runtime impact), but it reds strict-TS consumer CI on upgrade.
It slipped through because:
- The change came in via #583 ("use `useSyncExternalStore` to sync data"), whose title looked like an internals change, not a public API break.
- It then sat unreleased for ~3 years (v4.2.3 was 2022-08, #583 merged 2023-07).
- 4.2.4 batched 35 PRs of accumulated `main` into one bump, with no step auditing the cumulative public type surface.
## Proposal
Add a release-time (or CI) check that diffs the candidate's emitted types against the last published version:
1. `npm pack` the latest published version, extract `dist/*.d.ts`.
2. `npm pack` the release candidate, extract `dist/*.d.ts`.
3. Diff them. Any non-additive change (removed/narrowed/changed signature) fails the check or requires an explicit "breaking" acknowledgment and a minor/major bump.
This exact diff would have flagged both the `ObservableStatus` union change and the `useFirestoreDocData` widening (#733) immediately.
## Related
- Remediation for the live 4.2.4 release is tracked separately (deprecate + re-cut as 4.3.0 with a migration note).
- Surfaced while reviewing #740.
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start with the repository's existing release or CI process and use npm pack to compare the latest published package with the release candidate. Extract dist/*.d.ts, identify non-additive type changes, and make the check fail or require an explicit breaking acknowledgment with an appropriate version bump.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- typescript
- Domain
- ci-cd, release
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 55/100