SoloVer 2

SoloVer is a simple and expressive versioning specification. Unlike SemVer's three-part versioning system, it uses a single number.

<version_number>[<postfix>]

• version_number: Single integer number, minimum 0.
• postfix: Optional. Matching regex [+-][A-Za-z0-9_]+.

Versioning Rules

1. Increments: The version number is incremented for each new release.

2. Postfixes: Additional information can be appended after the version number, separated by a minus or plus character.

Characters other than the regex above mean parsing the version must stop.

1. Precedence:

   1. Higher version numbers is after a lower number.
   2. + postfix is after no postfix. Hotfixes.
   3. - postfix is before no postfix. Pre-releases.
   4. Postfixes are sorted alphanumerically.
   5. Longer postfix comes after shorter ones.

Commentary

Ordering example: 0 < 1-alpha < 1-beta < 1 < 1+hotfix1 < 1+hotfix2 < 2-preview < 2 < 3.

Think of calculus: "x minus something" is less than x and "x plus something" is greater than x.

Ordering gotchas because "alphanumerically" is stupid simple:

• 3-alpha2 > 3-alpha10 (should have used 3-alpha02 maybe)
• 3-rc1 > 3-beta (because r comes after b in the alphabet)
• 3-beta > 3-Alpha (because b comes after A in ASCII)
• 1.0 = 1.2 (both are parsed as 1)
• 3-alpha-42b8b42 = 3-alpha-dc31563 (both are parsed as 3-alpha)
• 2024-01 < 2024 (dates don't work so well)

We intentionally do not try to communicate "backward compatibility" as there is no objective and satisfying definition anyways. As a provider, you should document changes properly. As a user, you should test anyways.

SoloVer is not "semantic" but the semantics of SemVer are limited anyways: API-compatibility is not enough and it is only a promise of unspecified strength.

SoloVer is simple because it uses a single incremented number.

SoloVer is expressive because it offers a way to postfix something after the version number.

Changelog

• Version 2 in 2024-03-16: Fixing a typo and referencing alternatives.
• Version 1 in 2024-03-14: Initial public version.

Alternatives

• SemVer: 1.2.3, the standard everybody pretends to use.
• CalVer: 2024.03, for people who release on time.
• ZeroVer: 0.1.98, SemVer for timid people.
• effver: 1.2.3, SemVer with more nuance.
• RomVer: 1.2.3, SemVer for romanticists.
• HashVer: 2019.07.21.3731a8be0f1a8, for people who release every commit.
• PragVer: 1.2.3, SemVer but different.
• WendtVer: 0.1.7, SoloVer with more dots and zeros.
• GitDate: 2021.03.31.44cf59b1, HashVer truncated even more.
• BreakVer: 1.2.3, SemVer with more words about breaking changes.
• unnamed: 1.2, in between SemVer and SoloVer.
• PVP: 1.2.3, Haskell jumping the gun.

Thanks to all the lobste.rs comments collecting the alternatives.