What does x.y.z stand for?

In a given version number, x.y.z stands for major.minor.patch.

E.g 1.2.4 means:

  • Major release: 1
  • Minor release: 2
  • Patch release: 4

Major Versions

Major versions should be incremented when you introduce huge change to a project, and specifically when you are making something no longer backwards compatible.

Minor Versions

Minor versions should be incremented when you introduce a new feature or a small to medium change. The product remains mostly the same but you have introduced something new.

Patch Versions

Patch versions should be incremented when you fix a bug, or tweak a small setting. A very small change.

Incrementing Version Numbers

When incrementing versions, major takes priority over minor and minor takes priority over patch. This means when you increment a minor version, the patch version gets reset to 0, and when you increment a major version, the minor version is reset to 0. For example:

  • 1.0.0
  • 1.0.1
  • 1.1.0
  • 1.2.0
  • 2.0.0