[GH-ISSUE #920] Why is it called "semantic" versioning? #1443

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GiteaMirror · 2026-04-16T10:51:18-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-16 10:51:18 -05:00

Originally created by @vls-tomra on GitHub (Feb 28, 2023).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/semver/semver/issues/920

I am a big fan of semver ever since coming across it about ten years ago. Today I asked myself where the "semantic" in the naming comes from and unfortunately have no idea. Maybe this can be added to the FAQ?

Originally created by @vls-tomra on GitHub (Feb 28, 2023). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/semver/semver/issues/920 I am a big fan of semver ever since coming across it about ten years ago. Today I asked myself where the "semantic" in the naming comes from and unfortunately have no idea. Maybe this can be added to the FAQ?

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-16 10:51:19 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-16 10:51:19 -05:00

@iago-lito commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2023):

I'd say it's because it's adding meaning to things like 1.5.8 which otherwise would be just a sequence of digits and dots. With SemVer, 1.5.8 is not only a plain string, it also carries some semantic.

@iago-lito commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2023): I'd say it's because it's adding *meaning* to things like `1.5.8` which otherwise would be just a sequence of digits and dots. With SemVer, `1.5.8` is not only a plain string, it also carries some *semantic*.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-16 10:51:20 -05:00

@silopolis commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2023):

I think exactly what @iago-lito said.

@silopolis commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2023): I think exactly what @iago-lito said.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-16 10:51:21 -05:00

@vls-tomra commented on GitHub (Mar 6, 2023):

now that you say it @iago-lito, it seems kind of obvious. :-) However, when someone tells me "thats just semantics" I think of how things are worded. I guess semantic is the connection between meaning and the actual word. "Semantic Versioning" does have a better ring to it, than "logical" or "meaningful" versioning.

@vls-tomra commented on GitHub (Mar 6, 2023): now that you say it @iago-lito, it seems kind of obvious. :-) However, when someone tells me "thats just semantics" I think of how things are worded. I guess semantic is the connection between meaning and the actual word. "Semantic Versioning" does have a better ring to it, than "logical" or "meaningful" versioning.

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Reference: github-starred/semver#1443