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Understanding the Semantic Version (SemVer) Constraints: Caret (^) vs Tilde (~)
Author’s note: the following writing should be valid for any programming language’s engine which follows the Semantic Version, including PHP’s Composer (
composer.json), JavaScript’s NodeJS (package.json), and more.
You're not alone if you've ever felt a bit puzzled by those funky Semantic Version symbols (^ and ~) in your project's dependency files.
Let's embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries of version constraints, focusing specifically on the differences between the Caret (^) and Tilde (~) operators.
By the end of our adventure, you'll know how to navigate version constraints like a seasoned pro, ensuring your projects stay rock-solid and hassle-free.
Before we discuss version constraint operators, let's examine Semantic Versioning (Semver). Semver is a language for communicating major, minor, and patch version changes:
- Major changes break things;
- Minor changes add features; and
- Patch changes fix bugs.
