Semantic Version Range Calculator

Candidate versions

Step-by-step calculation

1. 1The range expands to >=1.2.3 <2.0.0 || >=2.0.0 <3.0.0.
2. 21.5.0 matches at least one group of the 2 OR groups.
3. 3The first group allows >=1.2.3 to <2.0.0.
4. 44 of 6 valid candidates satisfy the range; the lowest is 1.2.3 and the highest is 2.5.0.

Round-trip verification

Best for: Escaping, encoding and permission conversions

• Method: Convert the value, decode it back with the target parser and compare the result with the original byte sequence.
• Precision: Test non-BMP characters, control characters, quotes, backslashes, newlines and an empty value.
• Safeguards: Escape at the output boundary and rely on the framework encoder rather than manual replacement.

Contract-first types

Best for: JSON-to-TypeScript, JSON-to-struct and SQL placeholder work

• Method: Collect several representative samples, infer the shape, then review optional fields, nulls and unions before committing the type or schema.
• Precision: Treat one sample as a lower bound on the real contract; add schema validation for runtime data.
• Safeguards: Run the generated types through CI and compare them with the next API revision.

Least-privilege configuration

Best for: Permissions, .env files, identifiers and dependency ranges

• Method: Choose the smallest permission set, keep secrets out of version control and pin or narrow version ranges deliberately.
• Precision: Account for the umask, the deployment platform limits and the full identifier lifetime.
• Safeguards: Audit world-writable files, setuid binaries, committed secrets and unpinned production dependencies.

Where each escape applies

Core relationship

range = OR groups of AND comparators; satisfied = every comparator in at least one group matches the version

Unit convention

Inputs are version range, version to test, prerelease versions, candidate versions to check. Keep each unit consistent with the result rows; convert before comparing estimates that use different units or time windows.

Validation

1. Reproduce the headline from the displayed rows. 2. Compare the result with a measured, billed or benchmarked value. 3. Re-run with a boundary input and with a scaled input. 4. Record the assumptions, source and date next to the result.

Caret plus explicit upper range

Inputs

Version range = ^1.2.3 || >=2.0.0 <3.0.0; Version to test = 1.5.0; Prerelease versions = exclude; Candidate versions to check = 1.0.0, 1.2.3, 1.9.9, 2.0.0, 2.5.0, 3.0.0

Math

range = OR groups of AND comparators; satisfied = every comparator in at least one group matches the version

Result

Range satisfied · Range as written: ^1.2.3 || >=2.0.0 <3.0.0 · Normalized range: >=1.2.3 <2.0.0 || >=2.0.0 <3.0.0 · Test version: 1.5.0

Tilde range with a prerelease candidate

Inputs

Version range = ~1.4.1; Version to test = 1.4.9; Prerelease versions = exclude; Candidate versions to check = 1.4.0, 1.4.1, 1.4.9, 1.5.0, 1.5.0-beta.1

Math

range = OR groups of AND comparators; satisfied = every comparator in at least one group matches the version

Result

Range satisfied · Range as written: ~1.4.1 · Normalized range: >=1.4.1 <1.5.0 · Test version: 1.4.9

Hyphen range including prereleases

Inputs

Version range = 1.0.0 - 2.0.0; Version to test = 2.0.0-rc.1; Prerelease versions = include; Candidate versions to check = 0.9.0, 1.0.0, 1.8.0, 2.0.0-rc.1, 2.0.0, 2.0.1

Math

range = OR groups of AND comparators; satisfied = every comparator in at least one group matches the version

Result

Range satisfied · Range as written: 1.0.0 - 2.0.0 · Normalized range: >=1.0.0 <=2.0.0 · Test version: 2.0.0-rc.1

JavaScript / TypeScript

Use JSON.parse plus a schema validator, escape at the HTML or JSON output boundary, and let a semver library parse ranges instead of comparing strings. For semantic version range calculator, use the same units and time window described in the calculator so the result lines up with your platform data.

Python

Use json.dumps with ensure_ascii when an ASCII payload is required, os.chmod with an explicit mode, and packaging.version for PEP 440 or SemVer-aware comparisons. For semantic version range calculator, use the same units and time window described in the calculator so the result lines up with your platform data.

Shell and CI

Use printf %q for safe shell quoting, keep .env files out of the repository, verify modes with stat, and let the release tool write the version tag and package metadata together. For semantic version range calculator, use the same units and time window described in the calculator so the result lines up with your platform data.

SQL and ORMs

Use prepared statements for every value, compute batch size from the driver limit divided by placeholders per row, and log the parameter count when a bulk insert fails. For semantic version range calculator, use the same units and time window described in the calculator so the result lines up with your platform data.

Mistakes that break conversions

• Assuming ^1.2.3 allows 2.0.0.
• Forgetting that an OR group with one broken comparator invalidates that whole group.
• Mixing units or time windows when comparing two semantic version range calculator results.
• Treating the default values as a recommendation instead of a starting point.
• Reporting a single number without the assumptions, range or measurement date behind it.

Pro tips for production code

• Test the range with real release candidates and prereleases before relying on it in CI.
• Use a lockfile for applications and a range only for libraries.
• Measure the dominant input before refining the model; the largest uncertainty deserves the most attention.
• Keep a short record of the inputs, result and date so future comparisons are meaningful.
• Validate the estimate with a second method — a benchmark, a bill or production telemetry.
• Pair this result with the related calculators (Semantic Version Increment Helper, Release Cycle Time Calculator, Deployment Frequency Calculator) for a complete picture.