# Flow versioning and aliasing in Connect Customer
<a name="flows-versions-aliases"></a>

To improve maintenance efficiency and reduce deployment risks, Connect Customer supports versioning and aliasing for flows. This lets you track changes over time, roll back to a known-good state, and control which content is live without editing the flows that reference it.

Flow version  
A version is an immutable, point-in-time snapshot of the flow. You can continue to edit the flow and create new versions as needed. Connect Customer assigns each version a sequential number automatically.

Flow alias  
An alias is a reference to a specific version of the flow. Aliases let you switch between flow versions without updating each Connect Customer resource. Resources such as queues, quick connects, and phone numbers can reference a flow alias instead of a specific version. When you publish a new version, you point the alias to it, and every Connect Customer resource that uses the alias picks up the new version automatically. Each alias is assigned a unique alias ID when it's created, and you can also assign it an alias name.

Following are the benefits of using flow versioning and aliasing:
+ **Immutable versions**. Each published version is a point-in-time snapshot of the flow's content that remains unchanged, which provides consistency and reliability for rollback and audit.
+ **Safer deployments**. Aliases let you point live traffic at a specific version and switch versions with a single update, without republishing or relinking every reference.
+ **Easier change tracking**. Sequential version numbers (starting from 1) and human-readable version descriptions make it straightforward to see what changed and when.

**Topics**
+ [Reference a version or alias of a flow](#flow-version-alias-reference)
+ [Create a version of a flow](#flow-version-create)
+ [Create an alias for a flow](#flow-alias-create)
+ [View a specific version or alias of a flow](#flow-version-alias-view)
+ [Use flow versions and aliases](#flow-version-alias-use)
+ [Audit history](#flow-version-alias-audit-history)
+ [Metrics](#flow-version-alias-metrics)
+ [Reference aliases or versions in other resources](#flow-version-alias-reference-other-resources)

## Reference a version or alias of a flow
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You can reference a specific version or alias of a flow by using the qualified ARN or ID:
+ `flow-arn-or-id:VersionNumber` references a specific version.
+ `flow-arn-or-id:AliasId` references an alias.

## Create a version of a flow
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When you publish a flow, select the **Create new version** check box to create a new version of the flow.

![The Publish dialog box with the Create new version check box selected.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-publish-create-version.png)


If a flow is already published, the **Versions** tab is enabled. You can also choose **Create version** to create a new version of the flow.

![The Versions tab with the Create version button.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-versions-tab.png)


![The Create version dialog box.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-create-version-dialog.png)


## Create an alias for a flow
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To create an alias, you must first create a version for the flow. After the version is created, navigate to the **Aliases** tab and choose **Create alias** to create a new alias for the flow. When you create the alias, you must associate it with a version.

![The Create alias dialog box, where you associate the alias with a version.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-alias-create-alias-dialog.png)


After you associate an alias with a version, the **Versions** tab shows the associated alias for each version.

![The Versions tab showing the alias associated with each version.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-associated-alias.png)


The **Aliases** tab lists each alias and the version it points to.

![The Aliases tab showing each alias and its associated version.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-alias-aliases-tab.png)


## View a specific version or alias of a flow
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To view a specific flow alias or version, choose the version or alias link on the **Versions** or **Aliases** list page. The designer opens in read-only mode.

![A flow version open in the designer in read-only mode.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-read-only-designer.png)


## Use flow versions and aliases
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When you reference a flow, you can optionally use either an alias or a version. If you don't select an alias or version, the latest published content of the flow will be referenced.

![Referencing a specific version of a flow from the Transfer to flow block.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-transfer-reference.png)


## Audit history
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On the designer page, you can view and switch between different versions and aliases of the flow by using the **Audit history** dropdown list.

![The Audit history dropdown list on the designer page.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-audit-history-dropdown.png)


You can also track all the changes made to the different aliases and versions of the flow on the flow historical changes page.

![The flow historical changes page, showing recent changes to the flow.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-historical-changes.png)


## Metrics
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To view the metrics associated with a flow version or flow alias, you can do either of the following:
+ Open the flow version or alias in read-only mode, and then choose **Show Metrics**.
+ Use the **Audit history** dropdown list to switch to the alias or version, and then choose **Show Metrics**.

![Metrics displayed for a flow version open in read-only mode.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-metrics-read-only.png)


![Using the Audit history dropdown list to switch to a version before showing metrics.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-metrics-audit-history.png)


![Metrics displayed on the flow designer for a specific version.](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/flow-version-metrics-displayed.png)


## Reference aliases or versions in other resources
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You can optionally reference an alias or version when you configure any of the following pages that require you to reference a flow:
+ Queues
+ Quick connects
+ Phone numbers
+ Test chat
+ Test management
+ Task template
+ Email
+ Outbound campaigns
+ Views
+ Rules