How do I version my Python packages effectively?

How do I version my Python packages effectively?

Versioning your Python packages is crucial for maintaining compatibility and managing updates. A common approach is to use Semantic Versioning (SemVer), which follows the format MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. You increment the MAJOR version for incompatible changes, MINOR for adding functionality in a backward-compatible manner, and PATCH for backward-compatible bug fixes.

Can you give me an example of how to implement this in my setup.py?

Sure! In your setup.py, you can specify the version like this:

from setuptools import setup

setup(
    name='your_package_name',
    version='1.0.0',  # MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
    ...
)

Just update the version number according to the changes you make.

What if I want to include pre-release versions?

You can include pre-release versions by appending a hyphen and a label to the version number. For example, 1.0.0-alpha or 1.0.0-beta.1. This indicates that the version is not yet stable.

Are there any tools to help manage versioning?

Yes, tools like bumpversion and setuptools_scm can help automate versioning. They can increment version numbers and manage tags in your version control system.