Versiooninumber

Versiooninumber is a label assigned to a released state of a product, most commonly software, used to identify and distinguish it from other states. It communicates the chronology of releases, the scope of changes, and compatibility guarantees to users and developers. The term is widely used in software documentation and is understood across languages, including Estonian contexts where versiooninumber denotes the version number.

Version numbers are typically organized into fields separated by dots or other delimiters. The most common modern scheme is semantic versioning, written as MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, with optional pre-release and build metadata. In semantic versioning, changes to MAJOR indicate breaking changes, changes to MINOR add new features in a backward-compatible manner, and PATCH releases fix bugs and improve stability without adding features. Pre-release labels like alpha, beta, or rc indicate non-final releases; build metadata may include extra identifiers after a plus sign.

Other schemes exist, such as CalVer, which encodes the release date (e.g., 2024.11.25). Some projects use simple incremental numbers, or include additional descriptors (for example, 1.2.3-rc1 or 1.0.0-beta). The chosen scheme guides how developers and users interpret the release and assess compatibility with dependencies and environments.

Purpose and usage of versiooninumber include aiding dependency management, triggering update prompts, and supporting compatibility checks. They also help structure release notes, support processes, and auditing of software history. While useful, version numbers do not guarantee quality and can be interpreted differently across ecosystems; they are one of several signals used to manage software lifecycles.

See also: Semantic Versioning, CalVer, Release management.