What does a MAJOR version mean?

A MAJOR version is the first number in semantic versioning (SemVer), incremented when the product gets incompatible changes.

Version format:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

---

#What incrementing MAJOR means

Incrementing MAJOR means:

"The new version breaks backward compatibility."

That is:

• old clients may stop working
• the API changed in a way that requires rework
• the update is unsafe without changes in the user's code

---

#Examples of incompatible changes

MAJOR is incremented if you:

• removed a public method or endpoint
• changed a function's signature
• changed the format of the input / output data
• changed required parameters
• broke the API contract
• changed behavior that users relied on

Example:

1.4.2 → 2.0.0

---

#What MAJOR does NOT mean

MAJOR does not mean:

• "a large amount of code"
• "many new features"
• "it took a long time"

What matters is not the amount, but compatibility.

---

#MAJOR and releases in Git

Usually:

• a MAJOR version corresponds to a release tag
• a v2.0.0 release is a deliberate breaking change
• such a release comes with detailed release notes

---

#In CI/CD and team work

• MAJOR releases often require:
  • manual confirmation
  • additional testing
  • notifying users
• the deployment can be more cautious

---

#Short answer for an interview

A MAJOR version is incremented when changes are made that break backward compatibility, when the update may require changes on the part of users or API clients.