Semantic Versioning Format

Every external package is updated incrementally. A specific version looks something like follows -

"chalk": "^5.3.0"

The format is as follows - MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

• MAJOR - Major version changes indicate significant updates or breaking changes.
• MINOR - Minor version changes signify the addition of new features or improvements in a backward-compatible manner.
• PATCH - Patch version changes include backward-compatible bug fixes or minor improvements that address issues without adding new features or causing breaking changes.

Usage in package.json

• “chalk”: “^5.3.0” - (caret five point three point zero) npm will install any version that is compatible with 5.3.0 but less than 6.0.0. This includes versions like 5.3.1, 5.4.0, 5.5.0, etc. The caret (^) allows updates to minor and patch versions, but prevents major version updates update automatically. without caret you have to update mmanually
• “chalk”: “5.3.0” - Will install the exact version
• "chalk": "latest" - Will install the latest version

~4.18.2 (tilde four eighteen two ) means the package manager can update to versions that are greater than or equal to 4.18.2, but less than 4.19.0