Semantic Versioning

You might say

AI says a dependency is moving from major version 1 to 2. Should I just upgrade?

A versioning rule that uses major, minor, and patch to express a public API compatibility promiseSemVer uses X.Y.Z to express a promise about public API compatibility: for stable versions, patch means a compatible fix, minor means a compatible addition, and major means an incompatible change. A version is the author’s API contract, not an application upgrade risk score; 0.y.z versions have not promised a stable API.

Know first

npm

SemVer

Read what each version segment promises

Version example

{
  "dependencies": {
    "sample-lib": "1.2.3"
  }
}

These example versions illustrate SemVer promises; range symbols are interpreted separately by the package manager.

1.2.31.2.4

Compatible fix

For a stable API, a patch promises a compatible fix. Check release notes and verify per the project process.

These are SemVer promises for stable public APIs; check the project's release notes and acceptance results before upgrading.

What each segment communicates

Patch: usually a fix: For a stable public API, a patch change promises a compatible fix. Check the project's release notes and run its acceptance checks after upgrading.

Minor: usually new features: For a stable public API, a minor release promises compatible additions; check whether the new features affect you.

Major: possibly incompatible: For a stable public API, a major release signals incompatible changes; read the release notes before upgrading and verify your project flows afterward.

Quick checkChoose the best answer

The example library sample-lib is at ^1.2.3, and AI suggests changing it to 2.0.0 because newer is better. What is the more careful approach?

Never upgrade and lock every dependency at its lowest versionCheck the 2.0.0 release notes for breaking changes and assess the impact before upgradingAlways use the newest version because newer is always better

You can say this to an AI Agent

The example library sample-lib is at ^1.2.3. First read the 2.0.0 release notes and list the changes that affect this project, then decide whether to upgrade. If you upgrade, check every page for errors afterward and do not upgrade other dependencies along the way.

Learn next

1npm→2Build→

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