A lightweight Java library for parsing, comparing, and validating semantic version strings with support for multiple range formats.
Semver4j is a Java library that implements the Semantic Versioning (SemVer) specification for parsing, comparing, and validating version strings. It solves the problem of inconsistent version handling in Java applications by providing a standardized way to manage version numbers, check ranges, and determine version stability. The library supports multiple range formats used in ecosystems like NPM, CocoaPods, and Ivy.
Java developers building applications or libraries that require precise version management, such as dependency resolvers, build tools, package managers, or any system that needs to compare or validate semantic version strings.
Developers choose Semver4j for its strict adherence to the SemVer spec, support for multiple range formats out of the box, and extensible architecture for custom processors. Its active maintenance as a fork of the original unmaintained library ensures reliability and ongoing improvements.
Semantic versioning for Java apps.
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Supports NPM, CocoaPods, and Ivy range formats including tilde (~), caret (^), hyphen, and X-range syntax, enabling cross-ecosystem compatibility checks without custom code.
Offers multiple instantiation methods like parsing, coercion, and builder patterns (e.g., Semver.of()), simplifying version object creation from various inputs, including malformed strings.
Provides safe methods for incrementing major, minor, patch, and clearing pre-release/build metadata, ensuring thread-safe operations and predictable behavior.
Allows creating custom range processors to support additional formats, as demonstrated with the Processor interface, making it adaptable to project-specific needs.
Confined to Java and JVM languages, making it unsuitable for polyglot projects or environments where version handling needs to span multiple programming languages.
Supporting multiple external range formats (e.g., Ivy's bracket notation) can introduce a learning curve and potential parsing errors if developers are unfamiliar with all syntaxes.
Lacks direct support for JSON or other serialization formats, requiring additional boilerplate code for integration with web APIs, configuration files, or persistent storage.