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# Deprecations

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## Introduction

This document lists all deprecated functionality in Erlang/OTP. For more information regarding the strategy regarding deprecations see the documentation of Support, Compatibility, Deprecations, and Removal.

## OTP 28

### Distribution Control Messages

#### `ALIAS_SEND` and `ALIAS_SEND_TT`

The `ALIAS_SEND` and `ALIAS_SEND_TT` distribution control messages are as of OTP 28 deprecated and have been scheduled for removal in OTP 30. The support for these control messages are indicated by the `DFLAG_ALIAS` distribution flag.

The `ALIAS_SEND` and `ALIAS_SEND_TT` control messages are as of OTP 28 replaced by the `ALTACT_SIG_SEND` control message. Support for the `ALTACT_SIG_SEND` control message is indicated by the `DFLAG_ALTACT_SIG` distribution flag.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 28

- `crypto:enable_fips_mode/1` (use config parameter fips_mode)
- `crypto:start/0` (use application:start(crypto) instead)
- `crypto:stop/0` (use application:stop(crypto) instead)

## OTP 27

### Archives

The following features for archives are deprecated:

- Using archives for packaging a single application or parts of a single application into an archive file that is included in the code path.

- All functionality to handle archives in module `erl_prim_loader`.

- The `-code_path_choice` flag for `erl`.

Using a single archive file for holding BEAM files and other data files in an Escript is not deprecated. However, to access files in the archive the `escript:extract/2` function has to be used.

### erl flags

The following erl flags are deprecated:

- `-epmd_module Module` - deprecated in favour of the `kernel` application parameter `epmd_module`.

- `-erl_epmd_port Port` - deprecated in favour of the `kernel` application parameter `erl_epmd_node_listen_port`.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 27

- `code:lib_dir/2` (this functionality will be removed in a future release)
- `mnesia_registry:create_table/_` (use mnesia:create_table/2 instead)
- `ssl:prf/5` (Use export_key_materials/4 instead. Note that in OTP 28 the 'testing' way of calling this function will no longer be supported.)

## OTP 26

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 26

- `dbg:stop_clear/0` (use dbg:stop/0 instead)
- `disk_log:inc_wrap_file/1` (use disk_log:next_file/1 instead)

## OTP 25

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 25

- `ct_slave:_/_` (use ?CT_PEER(), or the 'peer' module instead)
- `slave:_/_` (use the 'peer' module instead)

## OTP 24

### Erlang Distribution Without Large Node Container Support

Communication over the Erlang distribution without support for large node container data types (version 4) is as of OTP 24 deprecated and is scheduled for removal in OTP 26. That is, as of OTP 26, support for large node container data types will become mandatory.

### Old Link Protocol

The old link protocol used when communicating over the Erlang distribution is as of OTP 24 deprecated and support for it is scheduled for removal in OTP 26. As of OTP 26, the new link protocol will become mandatory. That is, Erlang nodes will then refuse to connect to nodes not implementing the new link protocol. If you implement the Erlang distribution yourself, you are, however, encouraged to implement the new link protocol as soon as possible since the old protocol can cause links to enter an inconsistent state.

### ?NO_APP macro

The ?NO_APP macro in the edoc include file `edoc_doclet.hrl` has been deprecated.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 24

- `erlang:phash/2` (use erlang:phash2/2 instead)
- `zlib:adler32/2` (use erlang:adler32/1 instead)
- `zlib:adler32/3` (use erlang:adler32/2 instead)
- `zlib:adler32_combine/4` (use erlang:adler_combine/3 instead)
- `zlib:crc32/1` (use erlang:crc32/1 on the uncompressed data instead)
- `zlib:crc32/2` (use erlang:crc32/1 instead)
- `zlib:crc32/3` (use erlang:crc32/2 instead)
- `zlib:crc32_combine/4` (use erlang:crc32_combine/3 instead)
- `zlib:getBufSize/1` (this function will be removed in a future release)
- `zlib:inflateChunk/1` (use safeInflate/2 instead)
- `zlib:inflateChunk/2` (use safeInflate/2 instead)
- `zlib:setBufSize/2` (this function will be removed in a future release)

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 24

- `erlang:phash/2` (use erlang:phash2/2 instead)

## OTP 23

### Crypto Old API

The Old API is deprecated as of OTP 23 and has been removed in OTP 24.

For replacement functions see the New API.

### http_uri

Since OTP 21 the recommended module to handle URIs is `uri_string`. The module http_uri does not provide a implementation that satisfies the RFC.

### ssh

The public key algorithm `'ssh-rsa` is regarded as insecure due to its usage of SHA1, and is therefore deprecated. It will not be available by default from OTP-24.

The public key algorithm `'ssh-dss` is regarded as insecure due to its usage of SHA1 and its short key length, and is therefore deprecated. It is not available by default from OTP-23.

### Distributed Disk Logs

As of OTP 23, the distributed `disk_log` feature has been deprecated and it has also been removed in OTP 24.

### erl_interface registry

As of OTP 23, the `registry` functionality part of `erl_interface` has been deprecated and it has also been removed in OTP 24.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 23

- `http_uri:decode/1` (use uri_string:unquote function instead)
- `http_uri:encode/1` (use uri_string:quote function instead)
- `httpd:parse_query/1` (use uri_string:dissect_query/1 instead)

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 23

- `http_uri:decode/1` (use uri_string:unquote function instead)
- `http_uri:encode/1` (use uri_string:quote function instead)
- `httpd:parse_query/1` (use uri_string:dissect_query/1 instead)

## OTP 22

### VxWorks Support

Some parts of OTP has had limited VxWorks support, such as for example `erl_interface`. This support is as of OTP 22 formally deprecated and has also been removed in OTP 23.

### Legacy parts of erl_interface

The old legacy `erl_interface` library (functions with prefix `erl_`) is deprecated as of OTP 22. These parts of `erl_interface` has been informally deprecated for a very long time. You typically want to replace the usage of the `erl_interface` library with the use of the `ei` library which also is part of the `erl_interface` application. The old legacy `erl_interface` library has also been removed in OTP 23.

### System Events

The format of "System Events" as defined in the man page for `sys` has been clarified and cleaned up. Due to this, code that relied on the internal badly documented previous (before this change) format of OTP's "System Events", needs to be changed.

In the wake of this the function `sys:get_debug/3` that returns data with undocumented and internal format (and therefore is practically useless) has been deprecated, and a new function `sys:get_log/1` has been added, that hopefully does what the deprecated function was intended for.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 22

- `net:broadcast/3` (use rpc:eval_everywhere/3 instead)
- `net:call/4` (use rpc:call/4 instead)
- `net:cast/4` (use rpc:cast/4 instead)
- `net:ping/1` (use net_adm:ping/1 instead)
- `net:sleep/1` (use 'receive after T -> ok end' instead)
- `sys:get_debug/3` (incorrectly documented and only for internal use. Can often be replaced with sys:get_log/1)

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 22

- `net:broadcast/3` (use rpc:eval_everywhere/3 instead)
- `net:call/4` (use rpc:call/4 instead)
- `net:cast/4` (use rpc:cast/4 instead)
- `net:ping/1` (use net_adm:ping/1 instead)
- `net:sleep/1` (use 'receive after T -> ok end' instead)
- `sys:get_debug/3` (incorrectly documented and only for internal use. Can often be replaced with sys:get_log/1)

## OTP 20

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 20

- `crypto:rand_uniform/2` (use rand:uniform/1 instead)
- `gen_fsm:_/_` (use the 'gen_statem' module instead)

## OTP 19

### SSL/TLS

For security reasons SSL-3.0 is no longer supported by default, but can be configured.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 19

- `queue:lait/1` (use queue:liat/1 instead)
- `random:_/_` (use the 'rand' module instead)

## OTP 18

### erlang:now/0

New time functionality and a new time API was introduced. For more information see the Time and Time Correction chapter in the ERTS User's guide and specifically the Dos and Donts section on how to replace usage of `erlang:now/0`.

### httpd_conf module

API functions in the module `httpd_conf` was deprecated in favor of standard modules such as `lists`, `string`, `filelib`, and `erlang`.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 18

- `erlang:now/0` (see the "Time and Time Correction in Erlang" chapter of the ERTS User's Guide for more information)

## OTP 16

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 16

- `wxCalendarCtrl:enableYearChange/1` (not available in wxWidgets-2.9 and later)
- `wxCalendarCtrl:enableYearChange/2` (not available in wxWidgets-2.9 and later)

## OTP 12

### inets - httpd Apache config files

A new config file format was introduced.

### Functions Deprecated in OTP 12

- `auth:cookie/0` (use erlang:get_cookie/0 instead)
- `auth:cookie/1` (use erlang:set_cookie/2 instead)
- `auth:is_auth/1` (use net_adm:ping/1 instead)
- `auth:node_cookie/_` (use erlang:set_cookie/2 and net_adm:ping/1 instead)
- `calendar:local_time_to_universal_time/1` (use calendar:local_time_to_universal_time_dst/1 instead)

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