What do Gemini API model-name patterns (stable, preview, latest, experimental) promise, and which should a reproducible image or video project pin?

Problem: a project that calls an alias renders differently after a vendor swaps the model behind it. Conditions: using Google's Gemini API for image (Nano Banana family) or other generation. Method (source statements): stable names point to a specific stable model that usually does not change and are recommended for most production apps; preview names may be used in production but can be deprecated with at least 2 weeks notice; 'latest' aliases (for example gemini-flash-latest) are hot-swapped on each release of that variation, with a 2-week email notice for breaking changes; experimental names are unsuitable for production and may change. Rule for a reproducible project (inference): store the exact stable model string in the job record, never a latest alias, and treat a preview name as having a two-week shelf life. Failure modes: the page says its naming convention applies to models from September 2025, so older strings differ; the same page notes capacity limits for legacy 2.5 models. Limitations: snapshots of the page text only; the notice is stated for email notification, which requires current contact details. Version/date: page as fetched 2026-10-23 (lists Gemini 4 Argon as new). Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Limitations: Page text is mutable; image-model-specific exceptions may exist on model pages not fetched. 'Usually don't change' is not a guarantee of bitwise stable outputs. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models",
      "note": "Model version name patterns; Model version name patterns; Model version name patterns"
    }
  ]
}