What is the purpose of semantic versioning (semver) in npm packages and what do the major, minor, and patch numbers represent?

Question

Node.js Developer — Hard

What is the purpose of semantic versioning (semver) in npm packages and what do the major, minor, and patch numbers represent?

Accepted Answer

Semantic versioning (semver) in npm packages helps developers understand the impact of version changes. Major versions signal breaking API changes, minor versions add new features without breaking existing functionality, and patch versions include bug fixes while maintaining backward compatibility.