Streamlining Version Control with Semantic Versioning/Tagging and Conventional Commits in npm

Jack Williams
6 min readMay 12, 2024

Introduction

In the fast-paced world of software development, managing version control effectively is crucial for maintaining stability and ensuring seamless releases. Traditional versioning systems often lack clarity and consistency, leading to confusion and potential errors during deployment. However, by combining Semantic Versioning (SemVer) principles with Conventional Commits, teams can establish a robust framework for version control that promotes clarity, consistency, and reliability throughout the development process.

Understanding Semantic Versioning

Semantic Versioning, or SemVer, is a standardized versioning scheme used in software development to convey the nature of changes in a release. SemVer consists of three numerical components: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. These components represent:

- MAJOR: Significant, backward-incompatible changes that may require modifications in existing code.
- MINOR: New features or enhancements that are backward-compatible with previous versions.
- PATCH: Bug fixes or minor improvements that do not introduce backward-incompatible changes.

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Jack Williams
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I’m a DevOps engineer with a passion for sharing solutions to complex automation problems and opinions on tools and practices in CI/CD, IaC, and cloud.