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distributed

DEVOPS
Velocity5.0

Distributed task scheduler for Dask

Dask's scheduler spent the year deleting deprecated API, not adding surface.

distributed-computingdeprecationsbreaking-changesmaintenancepython
Current state
distributed is cutting frequent tags with little in them. The substantive release in the window is 2026.6.0, which removed deprecations across the scheduler, worker, nanny, CLI, security and deploy modules in roughly twenty separate cleanups and moved CI to pixi. 2026.7.0 follows with a breaking scatter change and a scheduler_info() default change; the two most recent tags are a backport and an empty release with no changes at all.
Where it's heading
The direction is consolidation. A single maintainer is systematically retiring API that had been deprecated for years, tightening type annotations and chasing flaky tests, while the feature surface stays flat. Python 3.14 support and a PyArrow floor in 2026.1.2 fit the same pattern of keeping the runtime current rather than extending it.
Prediction
With the deprecation sweep largely done and pixi now driving CI, the next releases most likely continue as small breaking cleanups on top of a stable feature set rather than introducing new scheduler capability.

Recent moves

  1. 29d ago

    Backport tag extending an earlier fix

    A single follow-up commit extending an earlier fix, tagged on an older version line out of calendar order. It carries nothing beyond that one change.

    View source ↗
  2. 29d ago

    Empty release: no changes

    A release whose own notes read 'No changes'. It exists as a version marker and does nothing for users.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    Breaking: scatter stops unpacking custom containers

    Two behaviour changes worth reading before upgrading: scatter no longer unpacks custom containers, flagged breaking, and scheduler_info() now returns all workers by default. The rest is flaky-test and CI work consistent with the year's consolidation.

    View source ↗
  4. 2mo ago

    Deprecated APIs removed across scheduler, worker and CLI

    The centrepiece of the consolidation arc: roughly twenty cleanups removing deprecated loop properties, Prometheus metrics, RPC handlers, CLI options, security and deploy API, plus a CI migration to pixi. Code that ignored years of deprecation warnings will break here.

    View source ↗
  5. 4mo ago

    CI pins, type hints and a dashboard CPU fix

    CI pins, type hints and a dashboard fix normalizing total CPU percentage by thread count. Housekeeping ahead of the larger cleanup releases.

    View source ↗
  6. 6mo ago

    Python 3.14 support and a PyArrow 16 floor

    Python 3.14 support lands alongside a PyArrow 16 floor. Runtime currency rather than new capability, but it decides whether the scheduler runs on a supported interpreter at all.

    View source ↗