What is the difference between ^ and ~?

^1.2.3 allows changes that do not modify the left-most non-zero part, so >=1.2.3 =1.2.3 =0.2.3 <0.3.0.

Why is 1.11.0-rc.1 not matched by ^1.2.3?

Pre-releases are excluded unless the range mentions a pre-release of the same version. This keeps unstable builds out of normal installs. The tile is marked amber when this rule is the only reason.

What does <2.0.0-0 mean?

It is how npm writes the upper end of ^1.2.3: below 2.0.0 and below every 2.0.0 pre-release too. Read it as below 2.0.0.

Semver Checker — npm Version Range Tester

Q: Why is 1.11.0-rc.1 not matched by ^1.2.3?

Pre-releases are excluded unless the range mentions a pre-release of the same version. This keeps unstable builds out of normal installs. The tile is marked amber when this rule is the only reason.

Q: What does <2.0.0-0 mean?

It is how npm writes the upper end of ^1.2.3: below 2.0.0 and below every 2.0.0 pre-release too. Read it as below 2.0.0.

Test npm semver ranges online: see which versions match, the highest match, a plain explanation of ^, ~ and || ranges, and bump versions. Uses node-semver.

range

Examples

Versions12

Highest match

2.7.4

Lowest match

1.2.3

Matching

6 / 11

What the range means

1
>=1.2.3<2.0.0-0[1.2.3, 2.0.0)
Versions at least 1.2.3 and below 2.0.0.
Pre-releases do not match.
or
2
>=2.0.0-beta.2<3.0.0-0[2.0.0-beta.2, 3.0.0)
Versions at least 2.0.0-beta.2 and below 3.0.0.
Pre-releases match only for 2.0.0.

Versions checked

Matching: 6 of 11 valid versionsnode-semver 7

Bump a version

VersionPre-release ID

Uses node-semver 7, the same rules as npm. Press / to edit the range.

Format references

Semantic Versioning 2.0.0
npm — semver (node-semver) ranges

Tool page updated: 2026-10-23

What the range means

Versions checked

Bump a version

Guide and example

Related tools

Format references