# Utilizing semantic versioning in Release Management

This guide is for [WordPress](https://freemius.com/help/help/documentation/wordpress/.md) only

Freemius supports a variation of [Semantic Versioning 2.0.0](https://semver.org/): `major.minor[.patch[-pre_major[.pre_minor[.pre_patch]]]][+metadata]`

Given a version number `major.minor.patch`, increment the:

* `major` version when you make incompatible API changes,

* `minor` version when you add functionality in a backwards compatible manner, and

* `patch` version when you make backwards compatible bug fixes.

* A pre-release version may be denoted by appending a hyphen (`-`) and a series of dot separated identifiers immediately following the patch version. Identifiers **must** comprise only ASCII alphanumerics and hyphens `[0-9A-Za-z-]`. Identifiers **must not** be empty. Numeric identifiers **must not** include leading zeroes. Pre-release versions have a lower precedence than the associated normal version. A pre-release version indicates that the version is unstable and might not satisfy the intended compatibility requirements as denoted by its associated normal version. Examples:

  <!-- -->

  * `1.0.0-alpha`,
  * `1.0.0-alpha.1`,
  * `1.0.0-0.3.7`,
  * `1.0.0-x.7.z.92`.

* Build `metadata` **must** comprise only ASCII alphanumerics and hyphens `[0-9A-Za-z-]`.

Valid version examples:

* `1.2.7-alpha`
* `1.2.7-alpha.1`
* `1.2.7-beta`
* `1.2.7-rc.2`
* `1.2.7`
* `1.2.8-rc.1+20210411`

Important versions hirerachy:

* `1.2-beta` < `1.2` < `1.2.0` < `1.2.1` < `1.2.2` < `1.2.10`
* `1.2.7-alpha` < `1.2.7-alpha.1` < `1.2.7-beta` < `1.2.7-rc.2` < `1.2.7`
* `1.2+20210411` == `1.2+whatever`
* `1.2.7-RC` < `1.2.7.rc` ([ASCII('UPPERCASE') < ASCII('lowercase')](http://www.asciitable.com/))