diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4e146b3..031b8e7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ CFLAGS += -Wconversion -Wunreachable-code
 CFLAGS += -D_GNU_SOURCE
 LDFLAGS =
 
-SRC = modfetch.c
-OBJ = $(BIN)/$(SRC:.c=.o)
+SRC = modfetch.c semver.c
+OBJ = $(SRC:.c=.o)
 BIN = target
 TEMPMOD = $(wildcard modules/*.c)
 MOD = $(TEMPMOD:modules/%=%)
diff --git a/mod.h b/mod.h
index e67cd47..7c5ca98 100644
--- a/mod.h
+++ b/mod.h
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 #ifndef _MODFETCH_MOD_H
 #define _MODFETCH_MOD_H
 
+#include "semver.h"
 #include <stdint.h>
 
-uint8_t version_major(void);
-uint8_t version_minor(void);
-uint8_t version_patch(void);
+semver version(void);
 
 const char *module_name(void);
 const char *get(void);
diff --git a/modfetch.c b/modfetch.c
index f913e52..40d1f3d 100644
--- a/modfetch.c
+++ b/modfetch.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#include "semver.h"
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <dlfcn.h>
 #include <errno.h>
@@ -11,9 +12,11 @@
 
 static const char *PNAME = "modfetch";
 
-static const uint8_t VERSION_MAJOR = 0;
-static const uint8_t VERSION_MINOR = 1;
-static const uint8_t VERSION_PATCH = 0;
+static const semver VERSION = {
+    .major = 0,
+    .minor = 1,
+    .patch = 0,
+};
 
 static const uint8_t MAX_MODULE_NAME_LENGTH = 128;
 static const uint8_t MAX_MODULES = 128;
@@ -22,14 +25,6 @@ static const uint8_t INITIAL_CONFIG_SIZE = 8;
 
 static const uint16_t MAX_PATH_LENGTH = 4096;
 
-static const char *version_str(void) {
-    char *ver;
-    if (asprintf(&ver, "%d.%d.%d", VERSION_MAJOR, VERSION_MINOR, VERSION_PATCH) < 0) {
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    return ver;
-}
-
 typedef struct {
     // path to the binary of this module
     char *path;
@@ -234,7 +229,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         }
 
         if (strcmp(argv[i], "-h") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "--help") == 0) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "%s: modular fetch [%s]\n", PNAME, version_str());
+            fprintf(stderr, "%s: modular fetch [%s]\n", PNAME, svtoa(VERSION));
             fprintf(stderr, "\n");
             fprintf(stderr, "OPTIONS\n");
             fprintf(stderr, "\t-h, --help\t\t\tdisplays this help text\n");
@@ -269,10 +264,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14134245/iso-c-void-and-function-pointers
 #pragma GCC diagnostic push
 #pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wpedantic"
-        uint8_t (*version_major)(void) = dlsym(handle, "version_major");
-        uint8_t (*version_minor)(void) = dlsym(handle, "version_minor");
-        uint8_t (*version_patch)(void) = dlsym(handle, "version_patch");
-
+        semver (*version)(void) = dlsym(handle, "version");
         const char *(*module_name)(void) = dlsym(handle, "module_name");
         const char *(*get)(void) = dlsym(handle, "get");
         void (*init)(char**) = dlsym(handle, "init");
@@ -281,10 +273,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         init(current_module.config);
 
         (void)module_name;
-        (void)version_major;
-        (void)version_minor;
-        (void)version_patch;
-        //printf("%s: %d.%d.%d\n", module_name(), version_major(), version_minor(), version_patch());
+        (void)version;
+        // printf("%s: %s\n", module_name(), svtoa(version()));
         printf("%s\n", get());
     }
 
diff --git a/modules/desktop.c b/modules/desktop.c
index 7c1c7ce..eb913db 100644
--- a/modules/desktop.c
+++ b/modules/desktop.c
@@ -8,9 +8,13 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
-uint8_t version_major(void) { return 0; }
-uint8_t version_minor(void) { return 1; }
-uint8_t version_patch(void) { return 0; }
+static const semver _version = {
+    .major = 0,
+    .minor = 1,
+    .patch = 0,
+};
+
+semver version(void) { return _version; }
 const char *module_name(void) { return "desktop"; }
 
 void init(char **config) {
diff --git a/modules/os.c b/modules/os.c
index b15a2ad..eec18d3 100644
--- a/modules/os.c
+++ b/modules/os.c
@@ -10,9 +10,13 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
-uint8_t version_major(void) { return 0; }
-uint8_t version_minor(void) { return 1; }
-uint8_t version_patch(void) { return 0; }
+static const semver _version = {
+    .major = 0,
+    .minor = 1,
+    .patch = 0,
+};
+
+semver version(void) { return _version; }
 const char *module_name(void) { return "os"; }
 
 void init(char **config) {
diff --git a/modules/sep.c b/modules/sep.c
index e3e9916..daf6eaa 100644
--- a/modules/sep.c
+++ b/modules/sep.c
@@ -12,9 +12,13 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
-uint8_t version_major(void) { return 1; }
-uint8_t version_minor(void) { return 0; }
-uint8_t version_patch(void) { return 0; }
+static const semver _version = {
+    .major = 1,
+    .minor = 0,
+    .patch = 0,
+};
+
+semver version(void) { return _version; }
 const char *module_name(void) { return "sep"; }
 
 static size_t length = 8;
diff --git a/semver.c b/semver.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08ee34c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/semver.c
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#include "semver.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+uint8_t num_digits(uint8_t x) {
+    return ((x) / 100) != 0 ? 3 :
+        ((x) / 10) != 0 ? 2 :
+        1;
+}
+
+bool cmpsv(semver s1, semver s2) {
+    return s1.major == s2.major &&
+        s1.minor == s2.minor &&
+        s1.patch == s2.patch;
+}
+
+char *svtoa(semver s) {
+    uint8_t major_len = num_digits(s.major);
+    uint8_t minor_len = num_digits(s.minor);
+    uint8_t patch_len = num_digits(s.patch);
+    //                  \0  dots
+    size_t len = (size_t)1 + 2 + major_len + minor_len + patch_len;
+    char *ret = malloc(len * sizeof(char));
+
+    snprintf(ret, len, "%d.%d.%d", s.major, s.minor, s.patch);
+
+    return ret;
+}
diff --git a/semver.h b/semver.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0e90b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/semver.h
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#ifndef _MODFETCH_SEMVER_H
+#define _MODFETCH_SEMVER_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+    uint8_t major;
+    uint8_t minor;
+    uint8_t patch;
+} semver;
+
+bool cmpsv(semver, semver);
+
+char *svtoa(semver);
+
+#endif // _MODFETCH_SEMVER_H