Quick start

Bumpversion is a PHP command-line tool for keeping version strings in sync across a project. It uses Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 and can release curated Keep a Changelog entries alongside your code.

Install

Use PHP 8.3 or newer:

composer require --dev janalis/bumpversion

Configure the files to update

Create a VERSION file containing 1.0.0, then initialize the configuration:

vendor/bin/bumpversion init --no-interaction --current-version=1.0.0 --path=VERSION

Add more --path options for additional files or directories. You can also run init interactively. Paths resolve relative to the configuration file.

Preview and bump

vendor/bin/bumpversion bump --dry-run
vendor/bin/bumpversion bump

The default increment changes 1.0.0 to 1.0.1. Select a larger increment:

vendor/bin/bumpversion bump --type=minor
vendor/bin/bumpversion bump --type=major

Prepare a Git release

Commit the project configuration and any other pending work first. Then:

vendor/bin/bumpversion bump --commit --tag --dry-run
vendor/bin/bumpversion bump --commit --tag

The commit includes only the planned release files. Publishing remains an explicit step you perform yourself.

Next, add a curated changelog or read the configuration and CLI reference.