compare-versions vs semver vs semver-compare vs semver-utils
Version Comparison Libraries
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Version Comparison Libraries

These libraries are designed to handle versioning in software development, particularly for Node.js applications. They provide tools for comparing, validating, and parsing version strings, which is crucial for managing dependencies and ensuring compatibility between different software components. Each library has its own approach and features, catering to various needs in version management.

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Feature Comparison: compare-versions vs semver vs semver-compare vs semver-utils

Version Comparison

  • compare-versions:

    compare-versions provides a simple function to compare two version strings, returning a number indicating their relative order. It is designed for quick comparisons and does not handle complex versioning scenarios.

  • semver:

    semver offers robust comparison methods that adhere to the semantic versioning specification, allowing users to compare versions with respect to major, minor, and patch changes, ensuring accurate compatibility checks.

  • semver-compare:

    semver-compare focuses on comparing semantic version strings and returns a numeric result indicating which version is greater. It is optimized for speed and simplicity in version comparisons.

  • semver-utils:

    semver-utils includes various methods for comparing versions, allowing for more complex operations like checking if a version is within a range or if it satisfies specific version constraints.

Parsing Capabilities

  • compare-versions:

    compare-versions has limited parsing capabilities, primarily focusing on comparing already formatted version strings without additional parsing features.

  • semver:

    semver excels in parsing semantic version strings into their components (major, minor, patch) and can validate if a version string conforms to the semantic versioning format.

  • semver-compare:

    semver-compare does not provide parsing capabilities; it is solely focused on comparing version strings that are already formatted correctly according to semantic versioning.

  • semver-utils:

    semver-utils offers comprehensive parsing capabilities, breaking down version strings into their components and providing utilities for manipulating these components.

Complexity and Size

  • compare-versions:

    compare-versions is lightweight and minimalistic, making it ideal for projects that require a simple comparison without additional overhead.

  • semver:

    semver is more complex due to its extensive feature set, which includes validation, parsing, and comparison, making it suitable for larger projects that need full semantic versioning support.

  • semver-compare:

    semver-compare is also lightweight, focusing only on comparison, which makes it easy to integrate without adding significant complexity to your project.

  • semver-utils:

    semver-utils is the most feature-rich and complex of the four, providing a wide range of utilities for version manipulation, which may be overkill for simple use cases.

Use Cases

  • compare-versions:

    compare-versions is best used in scenarios where you need quick and straightforward version comparisons, such as simple scripts or small projects.

  • semver:

    semver is ideal for applications that manage dependencies and need to ensure compatibility based on semantic versioning rules, such as package managers or large-scale applications.

  • semver-compare:

    semver-compare is suitable for quick comparisons in scenarios where you only need to determine which version is newer or older without additional features.

  • semver-utils:

    semver-utils is perfect for complex applications that require extensive version handling, such as those that need to parse, compare, and manipulate version strings frequently.

Community and Support

  • compare-versions:

    compare-versions has a smaller community and fewer resources available, but it is straightforward enough for most users to implement without extensive documentation.

  • semver:

    semver has a large community and extensive documentation, making it easy to find support and resources for implementation and troubleshooting.

  • semver-compare:

    semver-compare has a moderate community presence, with sufficient documentation for basic usage but less support for advanced scenarios.

  • semver-utils:

    semver-utils benefits from a robust community and comprehensive documentation, providing ample resources for users needing help with its more complex features.

How to Choose: compare-versions vs semver vs semver-compare vs semver-utils

  • compare-versions:

    Choose compare-versions if you need a lightweight solution specifically for comparing version strings without additional features. It is straightforward and easy to use for simple version comparison tasks.

  • semver:

    Opt for semver if you require comprehensive support for semantic versioning, including parsing, validating, and comparing versions according to the semantic versioning specification. It is ideal for projects that strictly adhere to semver principles.

  • semver-compare:

    Select semver-compare if you need a simple utility focused solely on comparing semantic version strings. It is minimalistic and efficient for quick comparisons without the overhead of additional functionalities.

  • semver-utils:

    Use semver-utils if you need a more feature-rich library that provides utilities for parsing, comparing, and manipulating semantic version strings. It is suitable for projects that require extensive version handling capabilities.

README for compare-versions

compare-versions

Build Status Coverage Status npm bundle size (minified + gzip)

Compare semver version strings to find greater, equal or lesser. Runs in the browser as well as Node.js/React Native etc. Has no dependencies and is tiny.

Supports the full semver specification including versions with different number of digits like 1.0.0, 1.0, 1 and pre-releases like 1.0.0-alpha. Additionally supports the following variations:

  • Wildcards for minor and patch version like 1.0.x or 1.0.*.
  • Chromium version numbers with 4 parts, e.g. version 25.0.1364.126.
  • Any leading v is ignored, e.g. v1.0 is interpreted as 1.0.
  • Leading zero is ignored, e.g. 1.01.1 is interpreted as 1.1.1.
  • npm version ranges, e.g. 1.2.7 || >=1.2.9 <2.0.0

Install

$ npm install compare-versions

Note: Starting from v5 the main export is now named like so: import { compareVersions } from 'compare-versions'.

Note: Starting from v4 this library includes a ESM version which will automatically be selected by your bundler (webpack, parcel etc). The CJS/UMD version is lib/umd/index.js and the new ESM version is lib/esm/index.js.

Usage

Will return 1 if first version is greater, 0 if versions are equal, and -1 if the second version is greater:

import { compareVersions } from 'compare-versions';

compareVersions('11.1.1', '10.0.0'); //  1
compareVersions('10.0.0', '10.0.0'); //  0
compareVersions('10.0.0', '11.1.1'); // -1

Can also be used for sorting:

const versions = [
  '1.5.19',
  '1.2.3',
  '1.5.5'
]
const sorted = versions.sort(compareVersions);
/*
[
  '1.2.3',
  '1.5.5',
  '1.5.19'
]
*/

"Human Readable" Compare

The alternative compare function accepts an operator which will be more familiar to humans:

import { compare } from 'compare-versions';

compare('10.1.8', '10.0.4', '>');  // true
compare('10.0.1', '10.0.1', '=');  // true
compare('10.1.1', '10.2.2', '<');  // true
compare('10.1.1', '10.2.2', '<='); // true
compare('10.1.1', '10.2.2', '>='); // false

Version ranges

The satisfies function accepts a range to compare, compatible with npm package versioning:

import { satisfies } from 'compare-versions';

satisfies('10.0.1', '~10.0.0');  // true
satisfies('10.1.0', '~10.0.0');  // false
satisfies('10.1.2', '^10.0.0');  // true
satisfies('11.0.0', '^10.0.0');  // false
satisfies('10.1.8', '>10.0.4');  // true
satisfies('10.0.1', '=10.0.1');  // true
satisfies('10.1.1', '<10.2.2');  // true
satisfies('10.1.1', '<=10.2.2'); // true
satisfies('10.1.1', '>=10.2.2'); // false
satisfies('1.4.6', '1.2.7 || >=1.2.9 <2.0.0'); // true
satisfies('1.2.8', '1.2.7 || >=1.2.9 <2.0.0'); // false
satisfies('1.5.1', '1.2.3 - 2.3.4'); // true
satisfies('2.3.5', '1.2.3 - 2.3.4'); // false

Validate version numbers

Applies the same rules used comparing version numbers and returns a boolean:

import { validate } from 'compare-versions';

validate('1.0.0-rc.1'); // true
validate('1.0-rc.1');   // false
validate('foo');        // false

Validate version numbers (strict)

Validate version numbers strictly according to semver.org; 3 integers, no wildcards, no leading zero or "v" etc:

import { validateStrict } from 'compare-versions';

validate('1.0.0');      // true
validate('1.0.0-rc.1'); // true
validate('1.0');        // false
validate('1.x');        // false
validate('v1.02');      // false

Browser

If included directly in the browser, the functions above are available on the global window under the compareVersions object:

<script src=https://unpkg.com/compare-versions/lib/umd/index.js></script>
<script>
  const { compareVersions, compare, satisfies, validate } = window.compareVersions
  console.log(compareVersions('11.0.0', '10.0.0'))
  console.log(compare('11.0.0', '10.0.0', '>'))
  console.log(satisfies('1.2.0', '^1.0.0'))
  console.log(validate('11.0.0'))
  console.log(validateStrict('11.0.0'))
</script>