Packages Versioning in composer.json, PHP

Versioning.md

There is a difference between ~ and ^ in Composer, though it might not be immediately obvious in some cases. Let me clarify:

Key Difference Between ~ and ^:

• ~ (tilde): Allows updates for the last digit specified.
• ^ (caret): Allows updates for all minor versions within the same major version.

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In your example, ~7.3 vs. ^7.3:

• ~7.3:

  • Means >=7.3.0 and <8.0.0 (allows updates to 7.3.x, 7.4.x, 7.5.x, etc.).
  • It happens to behave the same as ^7.3 in this case because both allow updates up to <8.0.0.

• ^7.3:

  • Means >=7.3.0 and <8.0.0 (same range as ~7.3 here).

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When They Differ:

The difference is clearer with more specific version constraints:

1. Example: ~7.3.1 vs. ^7.3.1

   • ~7.3.1: >=7.3.1 and <7.4.0 (restricts updates to 7.3.x only).
   • ^7.3.1: >=7.3.1 and <8.0.0 (allows updates to 7.4.x, 7.5.x, etc.).

2. Example: ~7.0 vs. ^7.0

   • ~7.0: >=7.0.0 and <8.0.0.
   • ^7.0: >=7.0.0 and <8.0.0.
   • In this case, they behave the same again.

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TL;DR:

• For ~7.3 and ^7.3, there is no difference because both allow updates from 7.3.0 up to <8.0.0.
• However, ~ is stricter when you specify patch versions (e.g., ~7.3.1 allows less than ^7.3.1).