Lodash _.VERSION Property

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to read Lodash’s _.VERSION string and use it responsibly in real projects.

What Is _.VERSION?

_.VERSION is a string property on the Lodash object that tells you which release of the library is loaded—for example "4.17.21". It is not a function: you read it directly, without calling it.

Lodash also exposes meta helpers like _.noConflict() and _.runInContext(). _.VERSION is simpler: static metadata bundled with every full Lodash namespace.

📝 Syntax

There are no arguments—just read the property:

_.VERSION

Syntax Rules

• Type — always a string (semver-style text like "4.17.21").
• Read-only — you do not assign to _.VERSION; it ships with the build.
• Namespace only — available on the main _ / lodash object, not on per-method imports like lodash/get.
• Runtime constant — fixed for the lifetime of that loaded copy.
• Not feature detection — prefer docs and tests over version string branching.

import _ from "lodash";

console.log(_.VERSION);
// -> "4.17.21" (matches your installed lodash package)

Examples Gallery

Practical _.VERSION patterns with copy-ready code, sample output, and interactive Try It Yourself labs.

const _ = require("lodash");

console.log(_.VERSION);
// -> "4.17.21"

4.17.21

const _ = require("lodash");

function boot() {
  console.info("[app] Lodash", _.VERSION, "ready");
  // other initialization…
}

boot();
// -> [app] Lodash 4.17.21 ready

[app] Lodash 4.17.21 ready

const _ = require("lodash");
const pkg = require("lodash/package.json");

const declared = pkg.version;
const runtime = _.VERSION;

console.log("package.json:", declared);
console.log("_.VERSION:   ", runtime);
console.log("match:", declared === runtime);
// -> true when the same install is loaded

package.json: 4.17.21
_.VERSION:    4.17.21
match: true

// Browser: another library may own global _
const lodash = _.noConflict();

console.log(lodash.VERSION);
// -> "4.17.21"

lodash.chunk([1, 2, 3, 4], 2);
// -> [[1, 2], [3, 4]]

4.17.21

const _ = require("lodash");

// WRONG — string compare is not semver
console.log("4.17.9" >= "4.17.10"); // true (incorrect!)

// OK — exact string when you pin one version
const PINNED = "4.17.21";
if (_.VERSION !== PINNED) {
  console.warn("Expected Lodash", PINNED, "got", _.VERSION);
}

// OK — use semver for ranges (npm install semver)
// const semver = require("semver");
// semver.satisfies(_.VERSION, "^4.17.0");

4.17.9 >= 4.17.10 → true (string compare bug)

📝 Notes

• _.VERSION is a property, not a method—do not write _.VERSION().
• Available on the full Lodash namespace, not on individual lodash/map-style imports.
• Never use string > / >= for semver range checks.
• Pinning === "4.17.21" is fine for a known CI image; “latest” changes over time.
• For feature availability, read the docs and write tests—do not branch on patch numbers alone.
• Last Lodash util topic before Express in this learning path.

💡 Best Practices