Semantic versioning
Semantic Versioning is a version-numbering convention using MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH components to communicate compatibility impact: major for incompatible changes, minor for compatible additions, and patch for compatible fixes.
Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core
Semantic versioning is a version-numbering convention using MAJOR, MINOR, and PATCH components whose increments communicate compatibility and change significance.
- How it is used
- Frames version numbers as compatibility signals when managing API changes.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the three increment rules and notes extensions without detailing them.
- Examples
- Uses an ASP.NET Core API configured with a default version of 1.0.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand whether an API change calls for a major, minor, or patch increment.
Read how Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core explains semantic versioning →
Go in Action, Second Edition
Semantic versioning is a versioning convention in which changes to major, minor, and patch components communicate compatibility and release significance.
- How it is used
- Gives consumers of a Go module a release identifier and expectations about compatibility.
- How deep it goes
- Defines major, minor, and patch changes, then shows release tagging; does not elaborate on version-selection rules.
- Examples
- Uses a domain/v0.0.1 Git tag and a storage module depending on the domain module at v0.0.1.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by tagging a Go module release so another module can depend on its version.
Read how Go in Action, Second Edition explains semantic versioning →
API Design Patterns
A semantic version string is a dotted three-number representation whose major, minor, and patch components communicate the nature of software changes.
- How it is used
- Communicates API change impact and compatibility expectations through one version label.
- How deep it goes
- Defines three dotted numbers and explains major and minor semantics, while leaving patch behavior unspecified.
- Examples
- Uses field renaming and field addition to demonstrate incompatible and compatible API changes.
- What you can do after
- Apply version increments to communicate whether API changes should preserve existing client behavior.
The Design of Web APIs, Second Edition
A semantic version number is a version identifier with major, minor, and patch components whose changes conventionally communicate compatibility impact.
- How it is used
- Guides API compatibility communication, interface evolution, and consumer migration decisions.
- How deep it goes
- Explains major, minor, and patch roles, applies them to API changes, and shows OpenAPI representation and linting.
- Examples
- Uses banking operations, path parameters, response fields, OpenAPI info.version, and a Spectral rule.
- What you can do after
- Apply semantic API versions, represent them in OpenAPI, compare date-based alternatives, and enforce formats with Spectral.
Read how The Design of Web APIs, Second Edition explains semantic versioning →
The Art of Code
Semantic versioning is a version-numbering convention in which major, minor, and patch components communicate compatibility and change significance.
- How it is used
- Communicates release risk while preserving trust during public API evolution.
- How deep it goes
- Defines major, minor, and patch meanings, then connects them to compatibility and deprecation without detailing a formal specification.
- Examples
- Uses breaking fields, validation, endpoint changes, deprecated methods, and MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH release categories as examples.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate upgrade risk and communicate whether a release breaks compatibility, adds functionality, or fixes defects.
GitHub Actions in Action: Continuous integration and delivery for DevOps
Semantic versioning is a versioning scheme that communicates compatibility and change significance through major, minor, and patch version numbers.
- How it is used
- Signals release compatibility for packages, artifacts, and shared GitHub Actions.
- How deep it goes
- Defines MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH increments and demonstrates Git-history-based calculation, while deferring fuller release-management coverage.
- Examples
- Uses v3.0.0, v3, and v3.0.1 tags plus a GitVersion workflow with fetch-depth 0.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via GitVersion or release tags to publish compatibility-signaling versions and update major tags for fixes.
Infrastructure as Code, Patterns and Practices: With examples in Python and Terraform
Semantic versioning is a version-numbering scheme in which major, minor, and patch components communicate the kinds of changes between releases.
- How it is used
- Controls infrastructure-module dependencies while enabling downstream evolution, auditing, and retirement of inactive releases.
- How deep it goes
- Defines major, minor, and patch changes, then stops short of a full specification of semantic-versioning approaches.
- Examples
- Uses a database module that moves a password into a secrets manager, alongside Git tags and release history.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Git tags or artifact labels to select explicit module versions and manage breaking infrastructure changes.
Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofu
A semantic version is a version identifier following major, minor, and patch precedence rules.
- How it is used
- Signals Terraform module and provider upgrade risk through release numbers and Git tags.
- How deep it goes
- Explains version fields, change categories, constraint operators, and upgrade boundaries through configuration examples.
- Examples
- Uses module changelogs, Terraform version expressions, registry tags, and provider releases built by GitHub Actions.
- What you can do after
- Apply Terraform version constraints and publish module or provider releases with semantic Git tags.
Related concepts
- major versionhas part · A major version is the primary component of a version identifier that distinguishes a release line and commonly signals potentially backward-incompatible changes.
- FluentBitused by · Fluent Bit is a lightweight, open-source telemetry agent for collecting, processing, enriching, and forwarding logs and other event data.
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