Glossary

Semantic Versioning (SemVer)

Semantic versioning is a version-numbering convention in the format MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (2.4.1). Each part carries specific meaning, so a developer immediately understands whether an upgrade is safe.

Rules

PATCH (2.4.1 → 2.4.2) — bug fixes. Backwards-compatible; upgrade freely
MINOR (2.4.1 → 2.5.0) — new features. Backwards-compatible; old code keeps working
MAJOR (2.4.1 → 3.0.0) — breaking changes. Review before upgrading

In Composer and npm

"^2.4.1" — allows MINOR and PATCH (2.x.x), but not MAJOR
"~2.4.1" — allows PATCH only (2.4.x)
"2.4.1" — pinned version

Pre-release and metadata

2.0.0-alpha.1, 2.0.0-rc.2 — pre-release versions. 2.0.0+build.42 — build metadata (does not affect comparisons).