https://0ver.org/ zer0ver Software's most popular versioning scheme! About Submissions Source --------------------------------------------------------------------- ZeroVer: 0-based Versioning Cutting-edge software versioning for minimalists With software releases at an all-time high, the consensus has never been clearer: Major versions are over. So what does the past, present, and future of software versioning look like? Welcome to ZeroVer 0.0.1. Contents * 0verview * Notable ZeroVer Projects * Featured Use Cases + HashiCorp Vault and Terraform + TOML + Apache Kafka + OpenSSL * Selected Emeriti * More info 0verview Unlike other versioning schemes like Semantic Versioning and Calendar Versioning, ZeroVer (AKA 0ver) is simple: Your software's major version should never exceed the first and most important number in computing: zero. A down-to-earth demo: YES: 0.0.1, 0.1.0dev, 0.4.0, 0.4.1, 0.9.8n, 0.999999999, 0.0 NO: 1.0, 1.0.0-rc1, 18.0, 2018.04.01 In short, software versioning best practice is like the modern list/ array: 0-based. We'll leave it to computer scientists to determine how expert coders wield the power of the "zero-point" to produce top-notch software. Meanwhile, open-source and industry developers agree: ZeroVer is software's most popular versioning scheme for good reason. Just take a look at the list below. Some thought leaders might surprise you. Notable ZeroVer Projects The growing vanguard of the versioning revolution. Add your project here. Project Stars First Releases Current Version 0ver Released years 3proxy 4,087 2015 25 0.8.8 (2016) 9.7 Anthropic Python 1,691 2023 114 0.45.2 (2025) 2.0 SDK Apache Thrift 10,634 2010 15 0.11.0 (2017) 14.3 Cartopy 1,464 2012 43 0.24.1 (2024) 12.3 Colyseus 6,021 2016 126 0.16.0-preview (2024) 8.1 CorsixTH 4,106 2013 50 0.68.0 (2024) 11.8 Cosmos-sdk 6,456 2017 616 0.50.11 (2024) 8.0 Create 3,121 2019 14 0.2.3 (2020) 5.6 Elm Language 7,605 2013 26 0.19.1 (2019) 11.7 Enlightenment 109 2012 87 0.25.3 (2022) 12.2 Excalidraw 92,459 2021 19 0.17.6 (2024) 3.6 Fabric API 2,489 2020 902 0.117.0+1.21.5 (2025) 4.6 Factor 1,685 2019 38 0.98 (2019) 5.3 FastAPI 80,974 2018 203 0.115.8 (2025) 6.2 Flow 22,121 2014 391 0.261.1 (2025) 10.3 Forge 5,132 2013 129 0.10.0 (2020) 11.7 Gephi 6,017 2010 19 0.10.1 (2023) 15.0 GoodbyeDPI 26,335 2017 30 0.2.3rc3 (2024) 7.8 Google Go CDK 9,619 2018 190 0.40.0 (2024) 6.6 Haskell 295 2007 28 0.12.2.0 (2024) 17.3 bytestring JaCoCo 4,279 2009 48 0.8.12 (2024) 15.3 Magic Wormhole 20,858 2015 39 0.17.0 (2024) 10.0 Mihon 11,938 2016 87 0.17.1 (2024) 9.1 Monero 9,247 2014 68 0.18.3.4 (2024) 10.5 MultiMC Launcher 4,393 2014 46 0.6.16 (2022) 11.1 Music Player 2,252 2004 193 0.23.17 (2025) 21.0 Daemon (mpd) Neovim 86,232 2015 47 0.10.4 (2025) 9.3 Notary 3,247 2015 19 0.7.0 (2021) 9.3 Numba 10,213 2012 207 0.62.0dev0 (2024) 12.4 Nushell 33,880 2019 108 0.102.0 (2025) 5.5 Onion 2,041 2011 6 0.8 (2016) 13.9 OpenBLAS 6,578 2012 65 0.3.29 (2025) 12.9 OpenRC 1,521 2015 132 0.56 (2024) 9.8 OpenRCT2 13,899 2014 48 0.4.19.1 (2025) 10.9 Orc (liborc) 87 2009 29 0.4.28 (2017) 15.7 Paper.js 14,621 2011 64 0.12.18 (2024) 13.7 Perkeep 6,581 2013 11 0.11 (2020) 11.7 Pint 2,489 2012 57 0.24.4 (2024) 12.6 ProsodyIM 623 2008 99 0.11.7 (2020) 16.2 Pry 6,784 2010 76 0.15.2 (2024) 14.2 Pure Data 1,667 1996 13 0.55-2 (2024) 28.7 PyTransitions 5,920 2014 48 0.9.2 (2024) 10.3 PyVista 2,926 2017 92 0.32.1 (2021) 7.3 Pyre 6,919 2018 86 0.9.23 (2024) 6.8 Ramda 23,919 2013 56 0.30.1 (2024) 11.1 React Native 120,597 2015 580 0.78.0-rc.5 (2025) 9.9 ReactOS 15,047 1996 59 0.4.14 (2021) 29.1 Ruff 35,827 2022 311 0.4.10 (2024) 2.5 Sodium 4,981 2020 76 0.6.7 (2025) 4.6 StreamEx 2,225 2015 44 0.8.3 (2024) 9.9 Stylus 11,214 2011 175 0.64.0 (2024) 14.1 Tactical RMM 3,409 2020 166 0.20.1 (2025) 4.3 Tectonic 4,067 2020 35 0.15.0 (2024) 4.4 Teeworlds 2,413 2011 22 0.7.5 (2020) 14.0 Tendermint 5,752 2019 239 0.37.0-rc2 (2022) 5.9 Thanos 13,299 2018 124 0.37.2 (2024) 6.8 The Clipboard 4,999 2022 25 0.10.0 (2024) 2.2 project Tor 4,529 2004 515 0.4.8.1-alpha (2023) 20.9 TypeORM 34,866 2016 96 0.3.20 (2024) 8.2 Uncrustify 2,895 2017 35 0.80.1 (2024) 7.8 Unmanic 1,732 2020 29 0.2.8 (2024) 4.3 Vala 830 2009 343 0.57.0 (2022) 16.0 Video Speed 3,890 2019 11 0.7.4 (2024) 5.2 Controller Wheel 510 2012 66 0.45.1 (2024) 12.6 Window Maker 147 1997 94 0.96.0 (2023) 28.1 XMonad 3,412 2007 23 0.18.0 (2024) 17.8 You-Get 54,876 2012 154 0.4.1743 (2025) 12.5 Zig 37,394 2017 19 0.13.0 (2024) 7.3 Zola 14,749 2017 50 0.20.0 (2025) 7.9 asdf 22,869 2016 43 0.16.2 (2025) 8.6 asn1c 1,071 2014 3 0.9.28 (2017) 10.4 atlantis 8,044 2017 146 0.33.0 (2025) 7.5 autokey 3,538 2016 28 0.96.0 (2022) 8.2 bottle.py 8,542 2009 85 0.13.2 (2024) 15.6 brick/math 1,896 2014 55 0.12.1 (2023) 10.5 bup 7,188 2013 43 0.33.7 (2025) 11.2 cargo-audit 1,627 2017 117 0.21.0 (2024) 8.0 ccls 3,831 2018 35 0.20241108 (2024) 6.8 datadogpy 622 2015 65 0.51.0 (2025) 10.1 dep (Go) 12,831 2017 12 0.5.4 (2019) 7.7 docopt 7,963 2012 11 0.6.2 (2014) 12.9 esbuild 38,554 2020 415 0.25.0 (2025) 4.8 fail2ban 13,220 2004 112 0.8.4 (2009) 20.4 foreman 6,058 2010 131 0.88.1 (2024) 14.8 fzf 67,941 2013 134 0.53.0 (2024) 11.3 google-api-client 2,816 2010 254 0.15.1 (2024) 14.4 (ruby) graphile-worker 1,898 2019 61 0.17.0-canary.9817f67 5.9 (2024) httpbin 12,944 2014 13 0.7.0 (2018) 10.7 hugo 78,046 2013 312 0.143.1 (2025) 11.6 iodine 6,336 2006 14 0.8.0 (2023) 18.7 kubectx 18,223 2017 21 0.9.5 (2023) 7.9 lazygit 56,570 2018 208 0.46.0 (2025) 6.5 libc (Rust) 2,175 2022 170 0.2.169 (2024) 2.5 mpv 29,681 2013 86 0.39.0 (2024) 11.5 nw.js 40,490 2013 324 0.95.0 (2025) 12.1 pywinauto 5,161 2006 34 0.6.9 (2025) 19.1 qtile 4,895 2008 45 0.30.0 (2025) 16.5 rand 1,774 2015 68 0.8.5 (2022) 10.0 restic 27,636 2015 49 0.17.3 (2024) 9.5 scikit-learn 61,109 2010 120 0.17.0_b1+git14-g4e6829c-1 15.1 (2015) seaborn 12,860 2013 38 0.13.2 (2024) 11.3 sshuttle 12,002 2010 29 0.72 (2015) 14.8 suhosin 469 2006 5 0.9.38 (2015) 18.4 typst 37,516 2023 17 0.13.0-rc1 (2025) 1.9 vim-airline 17,851 2013 11 0.11 (2019) 11.6 winapi-rs (Rust) 1,863 2017 8 0.3.9 (2020) 7.2 wkhtmltopdf 14,125 2008 50 0.12.6 (2020) 16.8 xhyve 6,444 2015 2 0.2.0 (2015) 9.7 xonsh 8,536 2015 136 0.19.2 (2025) 10.0 zeal 11,983 2015 13 0.7.2 (2024) 9.9 zoxide 24,924 2020 35 0.9.7 (2025) 5.0 zsh-completions 7,140 2011 39 0.35.0 (2023) 13.3 At the time of writing, the list is somewhat biased toward Python projects. If you know of some prominent ZeroVer projects, submit them here! Featured Use Cases These flagship ZeroVer projects know how to get the most out of their zeroes. HashiCorp Vault and Terraform [vault_log] HashiCorp's Vault project aims to be an enterprise secret management service, comprising the bedrock of a modern, microservice-oriented environment. And that's what makes it one of ZeroVer's most important adherents. Low in the stack, low in the version. That's the HashiCorp way. [terraform_logo] To drive the point home, even further down the stack, HashiCorp's Terraform also complies with ZeroVer's cutting-edge versioning scheme. With Vault and Terraform, HashiCorp demonstrates industry recognition of the importance of ZeroVer in infrastructure. HashiCorp knows ZeroVer works, especially when the projects are business-critical products, sold and supported. TOML Versioning schemes like SemVer and CalVer attempt to guide developers away from the natural light of ZeroVer. In a surprising and exciting move, the creator of SemVer himself saw the light of ZeroVer with his new project, TOML. From 2013 until 2021, TOML was a model ZeroVer user, barely cresting half a version. Unfortunately, Tom's passing of the TOML maintainer torch resulted in the confusing situation where new maintainers reverted to Tom's outdated 2011-era versioning philosophy: "If your software is being used in production, it should probably already be 1.0.0." Despite this turn, the ZeroVer academy salute Tom for showing great versioning fortitude in forestalling TOML's major version uptick for so long. Thanks Tom! Apache Kafka [kafka_logo] One of the strongest brands in modern software also subscribed to the strongest versioning scheme. To understand the version scheme, we have to understand the name, as the software shares quite a bit in common with its namesake. Apache Kafka was named after Franz Kafka, who lived as an author in turn-of-the-20th-century Austria. Like the project named after him, he was slow to start, inconsistent in delivery, and left a mess of unpublished work after a tragically early death. Most experts have come to agree, for all their complexity and absurdity, Kafka's writings have been influential, despite the prevalence of bugs. Still, true consensus is only found in the one true Kafka fact: most invocations of the name "Kafka" are attempts at appearing smart by those with relatively little experience on the topic. So how does ZeroVer fit in to the Kafka brand? Whereas the Kafka name mirrors his writing style, for over four years, Apache Kafka's ZeroVer policy mirrored Franz Kafka's own life and relationships: short, intense, and rarely conjugated or consummated. ZeroVer: the most Kafkaesque versioning scheme. OpenSSL Has there ever been a library more auspicious? By now it should come as no surprise that OpenSSL has its roots in ZeroVer. [openssl_logo] While no longer technically a ZeroVer project, OpenSSL held out from 1998 to 2010 before finally succumbing to 1.0. What happened after that is beyond the scope of this document, but let it serve as a warning to those who might stray beyond 0. In the good old days of 0ver OpenSSL, the project managed to change its name (from SSLeay) and implementation technology (from Perl to C), not to mention run through half the alphabet in micro versioning. That's the power of a streamlined and minimal ZeroVer version. Selected Emeriti Dearly departed from the school of ZeroVer, either from above or from legend. We remember them fondly. Project Stars First 0ver Last 0ver 0ver Released Releases release years ASCEND --- 1978 --- --- (2025) 46.7 Apache Druid 13,612 2012 470 druid-0.23.0-rc2 9.8 (2022) Apache Kafka 29,459 2013 54 0.11.0.3-rc0 3.9 (2017) Arrow (Python) 8,792 2013 45 0.17.0 (2021) 7.8 Bitcoin 82,023 2009 258 v0.21.2rc2 11.7 (2021) Bokeh 19,603 2013 42 0.13.0 (2018) 5.1 Caddy 61,563 2015 47 v0.11.5 (2019) 4.0 Cataclysm: Dark 11,002 2013 --- --- (2025) 12.0 Days Ahead Chocolatey 10,556 2015 60 0.12.1 (2022) 7.0 ClamAV Antivirus 4,724 2007 179 clamav-0.105.2 15.7 (2022) Compiz --- 2006 --- --- (2025) 18.8 Cython 9,780 2008 177 0.29.37.1 (2023) 15.2 Dash --- 1997 --- --- (2025) 27.7 Datasette 9,809 2017 138 0.65.1 (2022) 5.0 Discord for Linux --- 2015 --- --- (2025) 9.8 Discord for OSX --- 2015 --- --- (2025) 9.8 Dwarf Fortress --- 2006 142 0.47.05 (2022) 16.4 Factorio --- 2012 --- 0.18.47 (2020) 7.6 Flask 68,822 2010 25 0.12.5 (2020) 9.8 Flatpak 4,360 2015 89 0.99.3 (2018) 3.4 Flipper 3,767 2012 91 v0.28.3 (2023) 11.0 FreeCAD 23,054 2002 26 0.21.2 (2024) 22.1 FreeCol 610 2015 4 v0.13.0 (2023) 7.4 GoReleaser 14,248 2016 468 v0.184.0 (2021) 4.9 HTTPie 34,779 2012 30 0.9.9 (2018) 6.7 HashiCorp Nomad 15,231 2015 125 v0.12.12 (2020) 5.5 HashiCorp 44,178 2014 194 v0.15.5 (2021) 6.9 Terraform HashiCorp Vault 31,771 2015 169 v0.11.6 (2018) 3.6 Helmfile 4,178 2016 342 v0.171.0 (2024) 7.4 Home Assistant 76,571 2015 686 0.118.5 (2020) 5.3 Hy 5,183 2012 37 0.29.0 (2024) 11.7 Inkscape --- 2000 --- 0.92.5 (2020) 19.7 JED --- 1996 --- --- (2025) 28.4 Julia 46,419 2013 63 v0.7.0-rc3 5.5 (2018) Knex.js 19,599 2013 160 0.95.14 (2022) 8.7 LocalStack 57,711 2016 50 v0.14.5 (2022) 5.6 MAME 8,759 1997 --- --- (2025) 28.0 MechanicalSoup 4,709 2014 23 v0.12.0 (2021) 6.6 Meson Build 5,844 2013 135 0.64.1 (2022) 9.8 System Metabase 40,793 2015 623 v0.53.2.3 (2020) 5.3 Minikube 29,917 2016 52 v0.35.0 (2019) 2.8 MyPy 18,943 2014 72 v0.991 (2023) 8.2 Nim 16,829 2012 24 v0.20.2 (2019) 7.6 Nuitka 12,502 2011 285 0.9.6 (2022) 10.9 OpenSSL 26,681 1998 51 0.9.8n (2010) 11.3 OpenStreetMap API 2,290 2004 --- --- (2025) 20.5 /website PHPStan 13,211 2016 160 0.12.100 (2021) 5.3 Pandas 44,597 2011 93 v0.26.0.dev0 8.4 (2020) Pilosa 2,527 2017 29 v0.10.1 (2018) 1.5 PipeWire --- 2017 119 0.3.85 (2023) 6.4 PuTTY --- 1999 --- --- (2025) 26.1 PyTorch 86,896 2016 17 v0.4.1 (2018) 2.1 Qiskit 5,665 2017 114 0.46.3 (2024) 6.9 Rake 2,359 2011 2 v0.9.2.2 (2014) 2.6 React 232,315 2013 45 v0.14.8 (2016) 2.9 SciPy 13,378 2001 91 v0.19.1 (2017) 16.2 Semgrep 11,135 2020 146 v0.123.0 (2022) 2.7 Stellarium 8,218 2017 37 v0.22.2 (2022) 5.5 Sway Window 15,002 2016 41 0.15-rc4 (2019) 3.0 Manager TOML 19,701 2013 6 v0.5.0 (2020) 7.0 Theano 9,928 2011 27 rel-0.10.0beta4 6.3 (2017) Tiny C Compiler 2,180 2003 --- --- (2025) 21.9 VS Code C/C++ 5,657 2017 40 v0.18.1 (2022) 5.0 extension Wekan 19,796 2015 99 v0.99 (2018) 2.7 Werkzeug 6,697 2007 64 0.16.1 (2020) 12.6 Windows Terminal 97,045 2019 40 v0.11.1333.0 1.0 (2020) Wine --- 1993 --- 0.9.61 (2008) 15.0 XeTeX --- 2004 --- --- (2025) 20.9 asn1crypto 338 2015 29 0.24.0 (2019) 4.2 axios 106,333 2014 59 v0.29.0 (2022) 8.1 certbot 31,923 2015 83 v0.40.1 (2019) 4.2 dateparser 2,615 2014 20 v0.7.6 (2020) 5.9 distlib --- 2013 --- --- (2025) 12.0 docutils 63 2002 --- --- (2025) 23.1 drone 32,453 2014 30 v0.8.10 (2024) 10.4 gettext --- 1987 --- --- (2025) 38.2 globalid (ruby) 1,230 2014 18 v0.6.0 (2021) 7.3 html5lib-python 1,153 2007 15 0.999999999 10.9 (2017) n8n 60,969 2019 --- 0.234.0 (2023) 4.0 pg (Ruby) --- 2008 123 0.21.0 (2017) 9.4 python-dotenv 7,881 2014 44 v0.21.1 (2023) 8.5 rollup 25,588 2015 260 v0.68.2 (2018) 3.6 rq 10,020 2017 10 v0.13 (2019) 1.9 runc 12,139 2015 12 v0.1.1 (2021) 5.9 semver (Rust) 612 2014 35 0.11.0 (2021) 6.7 slrn --- 1994 71 0.9.9p1 (2012) 18.4 three.js 104,333 2013 --- --- (2025) 11.6 transformers --- 2009 --- --- (2025) 16.1 yup 23,174 2015 94 v0.32.11 (2023) 7.8 With any luck, these projects will realize their folly. More info Check out the About page. --------------------------------------------------------------------- April 1, 2018 (c) 2021 [by-sa] [feed]