Backward Compatibility by Default: Keeping API Consumer Trust Intact

Backward compatibility failures are one of the most common ways stable APIs become unreliable for consumers. Teams often make seemingly small contract changes, such as mandatory or type updates, that pass producer-side checks but break existing clients.
This talk presents a practical, spec-first approach to preventing those regressions using backward compatibility testing with Specmatic. We’ll compare proposed contract changes against a baseline branch, identify breaking differences early, and apply safe evolution patterns that preserve consumer expectations.
Attendees will leave with a concrete workflow to shift compatibility checks left into daily development and CI, improving API reliability without slowing delivery.