How does backwards compatibility work between software versions for applications?

Backwards compatibility for applications is provided through compatibility libraries that help third party applications work better across different versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. However, it is highly recommended that developers build and test their applications to work with the specific version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux they are targeting. This helps in getting rid of legacy fixes and deprecated libraries while developers can take advantage of various enhancements that are provided through each new release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.