Codenames, Tags, and Build Numbers
At a high level, Android development happens around families of releases, which use code names ordered alphabetically after tasty treats.
Platform code names, versions, API levels, and NDK releases
The code names match the following version numbers, along with API levels and NDK releases provided for convenience:
| Code name | Version | API level |
|---|---|---|
| (no code name) | 1.0 | API level 1 |
| (no code name) | 1.1 | API level 2 |
| Cupcake | 1.5 | API level 3, NDK 1 |
| Donut | 1.6 | API level 4, NDK 2 |
| Eclair | 2.0 | API level 5 |
| Eclair | 2.0.1 | API level 6 |
| Eclair | 2.1 | API level 7, NDK 3 |
| Froyo | 2.2.x | API level 8, NDK 4 |
| Gingerbread | 2.3 – 2.3.2 | API level 9, NDK 5 |
| Gingerbread | 2.3.3 – 2.3.7 | API level 10 |
| Honeycomb | 3.0 | API level 11 |
| Honeycomb | 3.1 | API level 12, NDK 6 |
| Honeycomb | 3.2.x | API level 13 |
| IceCreamSandwich | 4.0.1 – 4.0.2 | API level 14, NDK 7 |
| IceCreamSandwich | 4.0.3 | API level 15 |
Starting with Cupcake, individual builds are identified with a short build code, e.g. FRF85B.
The first letter is the code name of the release family, e.g. F is Froyo.
The second letter is a branch code that allows Google to identify the exact code branch that the build was made from, and R is by convention the primary release branch.
The next letter and two digits are a date code. The letter counts quarters, with A being Q1 2009. Therefore, F is Q2 2010. The two digits count days within the quarter, so F85 is June 24 2010.
Finally, the last letter identifies individual versions related to the same date code, sequentially starting with A; A is actually implicit and usually omitted for brevity.
The date code is not guaranteed to be the exact date at which a build was made, and it is common that minor variations added to an existing build re-use the same date code as that existing build.
Source code tags and builds
Starting with Donut, the exact list of tags and builds is in the following table:
| Build | Tag | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DRC83 | android-1.6_r1.1 | earliest Donut version, ADP1, ADP2 |
| DRC92 | android-1.6_r1.2 | |
| DRD08 | android-1.6_r1.3 | |
| DRD20 | android-1.6_r1.4 | |
| DMD64 | android-1.6_r1.5 | latest Donut version |
| ESD20 | android-2.0_r1 | earliest Eclair version |
| ESD56 | android-2.0.1_r1 | |
| ERD79 | android-2.1_r1 | Nexus One |
| ERE27 | android-2.1_r2 | Nexus One |
| EPE54B | android-2.1_r2.1p | Nexus One |
| ESE81 | android-2.1_r2.1s | |
| EPF21B | android-2.1_r2.1p2 | latest Eclair version |
| FRF85B | android-2.2_r1 | earliest Froyo version, Nexus One |
| FRF91 | android-2.2_r1.1 | Nexus One |
| FRG01B | android-2.2_r1.2 | |
| FRG22D | android-2.2_r1.3 | |
| FRG83 | android-2.2.1_r1 | Nexus One |
| FRG83D | android-2.2.1_r2 | Nexus One |
| FRG83G | android-2.2.2_r1 | Nexus One |
| FRK76 | android-2.2.3_r1 | |
| FRK76C | android-2.2.3_r2 | latest Froyo version |
| GRH55 | android-2.3_r1 | earliest Gingerbread version, Nexus S |
| GRH78 | android-2.3.1_r1 | Nexus S |
| GRH78C | android-2.3.2_r1 | Nexus S |
| GRI40 | android-2.3.3_r1 | Nexus One, Nexus S |
| GRI54 | android-2.3.3_r1.1 | Nexus S |
| GRJ06D | android-2.3.4_r0.9 | Nexus S 4G |
| GRJ22 | android-2.3.4_r1 | Nexus One, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G |
| GRJ90 | android-2.3.5_r1 | Nexus S 4G |
| GRK39C | android-2.3.6_r0.9 | Nexus S |
| GRK39F | android-2.3.6_r1 | Nexus One, Nexus S |
| GWK74 | android-2.3.7_r1 | latest Gingerbread version, Nexus S 4G |
| ITL41D | android-4.0.1_r1 | earliest IceCreamSandwich version, Galaxy Nexus |
| ITL41D | android-4.0.1_r1.1 | Galaxy Nexus |
| ITL41F | android-4.0.1_r1.2 | Galaxy Nexus |
| ICL53F | android-4.0.2_r1 | Galaxy Nexus |
| IML74K | android-4.0.3_r1 | Nexus S |
| IML77 | latest IceCreamSandwich version |
The branches froyo, gingerbread, ics-mr0, ics-mr1, represent development branches that do not exactly match configurations that were tested by Google. They might contain a variety of changes in addition to the official tagged releases, and those haven’t been as thoroughly tested.
Honeycomb GPL modules
For Honeycomb, the entire platform source code isn’t available. However, the parts of Honeycomb licensed under the GPL and LGPL are available under the following tags:
| Build | Tag | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HRI39 | android-3.0_r1 | earliest Honeycomb version |
| HRI66 | android-3.0_r1.1 | |
| HWI69 | android-3.0_r1.2 | |
| HRI93 | android-3.0_r1.3 | |
| HMJ37 | android-3.1_r1 | |
| HTJ85B | android-3.2_r1 | |
| HTK55D | android-3.2.1_r1 | |
| HTK75D | android-3.2.1_r2 | |
| HLK75C | android-3.2.2_r1 | |
| HLK75D | android-3.2.2_r2 | |
| HLK75F | android-3.2.4_r1 | latest Honeycomb version |
There is no manifest that contains exactly those. However, there are manifests that allow building those components. The following commands work for 3.0_r1.1, and using other versions can be done by switching the git checkout paramater, and if necessary the -m parameter in repo init. The git checkout command outputs an error for the non-GPL projects, where it can’t find the tag in question.