ChronVer (Chronological Versioning) is calendar‑based versioning. In the age of rapid software releases, knowing when something released is more important than arbitrary numbers from an outdated versioning system that most people never adhere to anyway. Finally, versioning for the rest of us.

Why ChronVer?

2025.07.21 ← You know exactly when this was released
v3.2.1     ← You have no idea when this happened

Semantic versioning is great for large systems like libraries and computers. Most software would benefit from time‑based versioning that’s immediately understandable to everyone on a team, not just the technical‑minded.

Format

YYYY.MM.DD[.CHANGESET][-FEATURE|-break]

Examples

Installation

Deno

# install
deno add jsr:@chronver/chronver

# import in your code
import { ChronVer } from "jsr:@chronver/chronver";

# install CLI globally
deno install --allow-read --allow-write --global --name chronver https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ChronVer/chronver/refs/heads/primary/cli.ts --config deno.json

npm/bun

# install via npm
npx jsr add @chronver/chronver

# install via bun
bunx jsr add @chronver/chronver

# import in your code
import { ChronVer } from "@chronver/chronver";

ChronVer is especially powerful with husky. Here’s how I use it in my Node projects (using bun):

// package.json
  "devDependencies": {
    "del-cli": "^6.0.0",
    "husky": "^9.1.7"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "build": "bun run clean && vite build",
    "clean": "del './build'",
    "increment": "chronver increment",
    "pre-commit": "bun run build && bun run increment && git add -A :/",
    "prepare": "husky"
  }

Now every time you push a commit, the version in package.json gets updated. Please note that you’ll need to install the chronver CLI globally using the Deno method above or the path method below.

macOS/Linux

You can find releases of the CLI on the releases page of this repo.

# create personal bin directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

# add to PATH in your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.)
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# move binary there
mv chronver ~/.local/bin/

Usage

Basic API

import { ChronVer } from "jsr:@chronver/chronver";

// create new version with today's date
const version = new ChronVer();
console.log(version.toString()); // "2025.07.21"

// parse existing version
const parsed = new ChronVer("2024.04.03.1");
console.log(parsed.year);      // 2024
console.log(parsed.month);     // 4
console.log(parsed.day);       // 3
console.log(parsed.changeset); // 1

// compare versions
const v1 = new ChronVer("2024.04.03");
const v2 = new ChronVer("2024.04.04");
console.log(v1.isOlderThan(v2)); // true
console.log(v2.isNewerThan(v1)); // true

// increment version
const incremented = version.increment();
console.log(incremented.toString()); // "2024.07.19.1" (if same day)

Static Methods

// validation
ChronVer.isValid("2024.04.03"); // true
ChronVer.isValid("invalid");    // false

// comparison
ChronVer.compare("2024.04.03", "2024.04.04"); // -1

// parsing
const parsed = ChronVer.parseVersion("2024.04.03.1-feature");
// {
//   changeset: 1,
//   date: "2024.04.03",
//   feature: "feature",
//   isBreaking: false,
//   version: "2024.04.03.1-feature"
// }

// sorting
const versions = ["2024.04.05", "2024.04.03", "2024.04.04"];
ChronVer.sort(versions); // ["2024.04.03", "2024.04.04", "2024.04.05"]

// create from Date
const date = new Date(2024, 3, 3); // April 3, 2024
const version = ChronVer.fromDate(date, 5); // "2024.04.03.5"

File Operations

// update package.json version
const newVersion = await ChronVer.incrementInFile("package.json");
console.log(newVersion); // "2025.07.21.1"

// works with any JSON file
await ChronVer.incrementInFile("deno.json");

CLI Usage

# create new version
chronver create                            # 2024.07.19

# validate versions
chronver validate "2024.04.03.1"           # ✅ Valid: 2024.04.03.1

# compare versions
chronver compare "2024.04.03" "2024.04.04" # 2024.04.03 < 2024.04.04 (-1)

# increment package.json
chronver increment                         # 📦 Updated to: 2025.07.21.1
chronver increment deno.json               # 📦 Updated to: 2025.07.21.1

# parse version details
chronver parse "2024.04.03.1-feature"
# 📋 Version: 2024.04.03.1-feature
# 📅 Date: 2024.04.03
# 🔢 Changeset: 1
# 💥 Breaking: no
# 🚀 Feature: feature
# 📆 Day of week: Wednesday
# ⏪ Released 107 days ago

# sort versions
chronver sort "2024.04.03" "2024.04.01" "2024.04.05"
# 📊 Sorted (ascending):
# 🔼 1. 2024.04.01
# 🔼 2. 2024.04.03
# 🔼 3. 2024.04.05

chronver --sort-desc "2024.04.03" "2024.04.01" "2024.04.05"
# 📊 Sorted (descending):
# 🔽 1. 2024.04.05
# 🔽 2. 2024.04.03
# 🔽 3. 2024.04.01

# create from specific date
chronver format "2024-04-03" 5             # 2024.04.03.5

# help
chronver --help

When to Use ChronVer

✅ Perfect For

• SaaS platforms with regular feature rollouts
• Mobile apps with app store schedules
• Enterprise software with quarterly releases
• Security tools where timing matters
• Marketing‑driven releases tied to campaigns
• Compliance software with regulatory deadlines

❌ Less Ideal For

• Libraries consumed by other developers
• APIs where breaking changes need clear signaling
• Projects with irregular, feature‑driven releases
• Tools where semantic compatibility matters more than timing

Comparison with SemVer

Advanced Features

Feature Branches

const feature = new ChronVer("2024.04.03-new-ui");
console.log(feature.feature);    // "new-ui"
console.log(feature.toString()); // "2024.04.03-new-ui"

Breaking Changes

const breaking = new ChronVer("2024.04.03.1-break");
console.log(breaking.isBreaking); // true

Date Validation

ChronVer validates actual calendar dates:

ChronVer.isValid("2024.02.29"); // true (2024 was a leap year)
ChronVer.isValid("2023.02.29"); // false (2023 was not a leap year)
ChronVer.isValid("2024.04.31"); // false (April has 30 days)

Real-World Examples

package.json integration

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "scripts": {
    "version": "chronver increment"
  },
  "version": "2025.07.21.3"
}

CI/CD Pipeline

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Update version
  run: |
    chronver increment
    git add package.json
    git commit -m "chore: bump version to $(cat package.json | jq -r .version)"

Release Notes

## Release 2025.07.21 - Summer Feature Drop

### New Features

- Dark mode support
- Mobile‑responsive dashboard
- Advanced search filters

### Bug Fixes

- Fixed login timeout issue
- Improved performance on large datasets

### Breaking Changes

None in this release.

Development

# clone project
git clone https://github.com/chronver/chronver.git && cd $_

# lint
deno check && deno lint

# run tests
deno test --allow-read --allow-write --fail-fast

# run CLI locally
deno run --allow-read --allow-write cli.ts --help

If you have Just installed:

just lint
# deno check && deno lint

just test
# deno test --allow-read --allow-write --fail-fast

just build
# compile CLI to an executable

License

Creative Commons ― CC BY 4.0

FAQ

Why not just use dates?

ChronVer is dates, but with a structured format that supports multiple releases per day, feature branches, and breaking change indicators.

What about semantic compatibility?

ChronVer can indicate breaking changes with the -break suffix. For situations where semantic versioning is crucial, stick with SemVer.

How do I migrate from SemVer?

1. Choose your first ChronVer date (usually next release)
2. Update your build tools to use chronver increment
3. Update documentation to explain the new format
4. Consider keeping a mapping in your CHANGELOG

Can I use both ChronVer and SemVer?

Absolutely! Here’s how your project could use ChronVer for releases and SemVer for API versions:

{
  "apiVersion": "v2.1.0",
  "version": "2024.07.19.1"
}