Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “What are pre-release versions?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**Pre-release versions** are preliminary versions of a product (alpha, beta, rc) shipped before the final release for testing and gathering feedback. **Key point:** they are marked with suffixes in SemVer and are not considered stable for production.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**Pre-release versions** are **preliminary versions of a product** that are shipped **before the final release**, to test changes and gather feedback. Simply put: *it's "almost ready, but not for everyone yet".* --- ## What pre-release versions look like In semantic versioning (**SemVer**), pre-release is marked with a **suffix after** `-`: ``` 1.2.0-alpha 1.2.0-beta 1.2.0-rc.1 ``` The general format: ``` MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH-<pre-release> ``` --- ## The most common types ### alpha - a very early version - may be unstable - often without full functionality ``` 1.2.0-alpha ``` --- ### beta - functionality is largely complete - bugs are possible - used for testing ``` 1.2.0-beta ``` --- ### rc (release candidate) - a candidate for release - if no bugs are found, it becomes the final version ``` 1.2.0-rc.1 1.2.0-rc.2 ``` --- ## How pre-release differs from a regular release - **is not considered stable** - can change or be removed - is meant for testing, not for production - the final version **is released without the suffix** ``` 1.2.0-rc.3 → 1.2.0 ``` --- ## Pre-release and Git / tags Usually: - pre-release versions **are marked with tags** - CI/CD can: - deploy them to staging - **not deploy them to production** - production is often configured **only for tags without suffixes** --- ## Why pre-release versions are needed ### Early testing - finds bugs before the release - checks integrations --- ### Feedback - users or QA try out the new version - behavior can be adjusted --- ### Release safety - production does not break - risks are moved into test environments --- ## An important SemVer nuance According to SemVer rules: - `1.2.0-beta` is **lower** than `1.2.0` - pre-release versions **are not recommended** for production --- ## Short answer for an interview > **Pre-release versions are preliminary versions of a product (alpha, beta, rc) that are shipped before the final release for testing and verification, and are marked with suffixes in SemVer.**For the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.