Introduction

Assembly versioning is a crucial aspect of software development and maintenance, allowing developers and systems to manage dependencies and demonstrate the progression of software applications. The version number provides insights into the nature and scope of changes in the software compared to previous versions, aiding in deployment, troubleshooting, and feature management.

Version numbers are typically composed of four segments: Major, Minor, Build, and Revision. Understanding how to effectively use and maintain these components is key to a streamlined development and release process.

Assembly Version Number Format

The common format for assembly versioning is `Major.Minor.Build.Revision`. This is native to .NET and other ecosystems:

• Major: Indicating a significant release with potential breaking changes.
• Minor: Denoting added features but with backward compatibility.
• Build: Associated with recompilations or non-intrusive updates.
• Revision: Used for small patches or bug fixes.

Best Practices for Assembly Versioning

1. Increment on Meaningful Code Changes

• Major Version: Increment when there are incompatible API changes. For instance, a complete overhaul of the software’s architecture or core logic.
• Minor Version: Increment when adding new backward-compatible functionalities.
• Build and Revision Numbers: Often automatically managed by build servers and CI/CD pipelines. These can be incremented even with small code changes and patches.
• Use automated scripts to increment build numbers on each successful build.
• Raise version numbers in code repositories automatically on release.
• Ensure all dependencies and libraries within your application adhere to similar versioning guidelines to avoid conflicts.
• Always verify cross-dependency compatibility post-version updates.
• Keep a detailed changelog to correlate changes with version updates.