Upstream (software development)

In software development, the upstream English term refers to the sending of a patch or correction to the original author of the software or, failing that, to its main maintainers, so that it integrates with the source code of the software.

For example, an uploaded upstream patch is offered to the authors or maintainers of the software. If accepted, it will be included in the application, either immediately or in a future release.

Upstream development allows other distributions to benefit from the patch when using the software. If for example an error is found in an application and the maintainers of a certain distribution correct it but do not send it upstream, neither the other distributions nor developers can benefit from the correction without having to redeploy the patch separately. / p>

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