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**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.**

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