PaceVer (an alternative to SemVer, for mobile apps)
3 days ago
- #mobile-apps
- #deployment
- #versioning
- PaceVer is a versioning scheme designed for mobile apps with dual release channels: native builds requiring store distribution and OTA updates delivered directly to installed binaries.
- Version format is MARKETING.NATIVE.OTA (X.Y.Z). MARKETING is free to bump for major changes or milestones, NATIVE increments for new store binaries, and OTA increments for each over-the-air update.
- Incrementing NATIVE resets OTA to 0. MARKETING bumps typically reset NATIVE and OTA to 0 by default, but teams may choose to keep climbing numbers consistently.
- PaceVer focuses on deployment pace, not change magnitude. It provides at-a-glance signals for release channels, unlike SemVer, which focuses on compatibility.
- Rules include starting at 0.1.0 for pre-release, using single project-wide numbers for all platforms, and runtime composition of version (MARKETING and NATIVE from binary, OTA from update manifest).
- Not suitable for libraries or APIs (use SemVer), single-channel apps, or when recency/magnitude is the primary signal. Adoption involves trading compatibility/recency signals for pace clarity.