Skip to content
UX Atlas
TermCraft conventionFoundational

Semantic Versioning

Version numbers that tell you whether an update will break things.

Definition

A version numbering scheme where major, minor and patch increments signal breaking changes, additions and fixes respectively.

Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.

In plain language

Version numbers that tell you whether an update will break things.

Example

Removing a prop requires a major version. Adding an optional one is a minor version.

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Deeper reading

The full entry behind this definition.

Nearby in the Atlas

Adjacent territory, found through shared tags rather than a stated link.