How version numbers work #

This page is for reporters, editors and creators who need to write version numbers correctly. Exponential and the packages around it use numbers whose last position keeps counting upward, which surprises people used to other schemes. Getting the order wrong is one of the easiest mistakes to make in release coverage.

Contents #

1. The parts of a version
2. The last position keeps counting
3. Tags, branches and the development line
4. Sorting versions correctly
5. Composer constraints in one table

The parts of a version #

The rule "Versions have no v in running text; the v belongs to the Git tag" is from the Brand and naming rules. The 6.0.15stable and 6.0.x-dev details are from Getting the code.

The last position keeps counting #

Exponential versions do not roll over at nine. After 6.0.9 came 6.0.10 (28 August 2025), not 6.1.0 (release overview). The same holds for extensions and for Velocity:

• "After 0.1.9 the next release is 0.1.10; only the last position counts up unless you decide otherwise" (Extensions guide, Release it).
• "The last position of a Velocity version counts on past 9 (0.0.4.9, 0.0.4.10, ...)" (Getting the code, the Velocity package).
• "Versions count in the last position: 0.0.4.9 is followed by 0.0.4.10, never 0.0.5.0" (Velocity release notes).

So do not read a jump in the last position as a small or large release. The number says the order, not the size. What a release contains is in its changelog (Reading a changelog).

Tags, branches and the development line #

Only a tag is a release. A branch moves every day; a tag never does (Published versions never change).

Sorting versions correctly #

A plain alphabetical sort puts v6.0.10 before v6.0.8, so a list sorted by name shows the wrong newest version. The documentation warns: "Always sort by version (--sort=version:refname or sort -V), never by name" (Getting the code).

git tag -l 'v6.0.*'                              # by name: v6.0.10 appears before v6.0.8 - misleading
git tag -l 'v6.0.*' --sort=version:refname       # by version: v6.0.14 is last - correct

The same applies to your own tables: order rows by release date or by version, never alphabetically.

Composer constraints in one table #

You will meet these in composer.json and in changelogs that list required packages.

When a changelog says a package "requires ~1.4.39", write "requires version 1.4.39 or a later 1.4.x", not "uses version 1.4.39".

Related pages #

• Naming rules quick card
• Published versions never change
• Verifying a release yourself
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.