diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 59b99f5fc4d..5fbb7f6e6b1 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ env:
     - SAUCE_USERNAME=mangui
 stages:
   - buildAndTest
-  - releaseCanary
+  - releaseAlpha
   - release
   - testFuncRequired
   - testFuncOptional
@@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ jobs:
         skip_cleanup: true
         on:
           tags: true
-    # publish canary package (and deploy gh-pages) if on master
-    - stage: releaseCanary
+    # publish canary package if on master
+    - stage: releaseAlpha
       if: branch = master AND type != pull_request
-      env: TRAVIS_MODE=releaseCanary
+      env: TRAVIS_MODE=releaseAlpha
     # Required tests
     - stage: buildAndTest
       env:   TRAVIS_MODE=build
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 57b11f0938f..cee3cb40a40 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [![Build Status](https://api.travis-ci.org/video-dev/hls.js.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/video-dev/hls.js)
 [![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/hls.js.svg?style=flat)](https://npmjs.org/package/hls.js)
-[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/hls.js/canary.svg?style=flat)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/hls.js/v/canary)
+[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/hls.js/alpha.svg?style=flat)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/hls.js/v/alpha)
 [![](https://data.jsdelivr.com/v1/package/npm/hls.js/badge?style=rounded)](https://www.jsdelivr.com/package/npm/hls.js)
 
 [![](https://www.netlify.com/img/global/badges/netlify-color-accent.svg)](https://www.netlify.com)
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ Find the commit on [https://github.com/video-dev/hls.js/blob/deployments/README.
 
 ```html
 <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@latest"></script>
-<!-- Or if you want a more recent canary version -->
-<!-- <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@canary"></script> -->
+<!-- Or if you want a more recent alpha version -->
+<!-- <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@alpha"></script> -->
 <video id="video"></video>
 <script>
   var video = document.getElementById('video');
@@ -147,9 +147,9 @@ If you want to bundle the application yourself, use node
 ```
 npm install hls.js
 ```
-or for the version from master (canary)
+or for the version from master (alpha)
 ```
-npm install hls.js@canary
+npm install hls.js@alpha
 ```
 
 **NOTE:** `hls.light.*.js` dist files do not include subtitling and alternate-audio features.
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 503bdd8d71d..a1505931186 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -36,6 +36,14 @@
         "browserslist": "^4.12.0",
         "invariant": "^2.2.4",
         "semver": "^5.5.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "@babel/core": {
@@ -237,6 +245,12 @@
           "requires": {
             "safe-buffer": "~5.1.1"
           }
+        },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
         }
       }
     },
@@ -301,6 +315,14 @@
         "invariant": "^2.2.4",
         "levenary": "^1.1.1",
         "semver": "^5.5.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "@babel/helper-create-regexp-features-plugin": {
@@ -3464,6 +3486,12 @@
             "@babel/helper-get-function-arity": "^7.10.1",
             "@babel/helper-plugin-utils": "^7.10.1"
           }
+        },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
         }
       }
     },
@@ -5429,6 +5457,12 @@
           "integrity": "sha512-CwBLREIQ7LvYFB0WyRvwhq5N5qPhc6PMjD6bYggFlI5YyDgl+0vxq5VHbMOFqLg7hfWzmu8T5Z1QofhmTIhItA==",
           "dev": true
         },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        },
         "string-width": {
           "version": "3.1.0",
           "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/string-width/-/string-width-3.1.0.tgz",
@@ -5806,6 +5840,14 @@
             "supports-hyperlinks": "^1.0.1",
             "treeify": "^1.1.0",
             "tslib": "^1.9.3"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         },
         "fs-extra": {
@@ -5905,6 +5947,12 @@
           "integrity": "sha512-ojmeN0qd+y0jszEtoY48r0Peq5dwMEkIlCOu6Q5f41lfkswXuKtYrhgoTpLnyIcHm24Uhqx+5Tqm2InSwLhE6Q==",
           "dev": true
         },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        },
         "type-fest": {
           "version": "0.3.1",
           "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/type-fest/-/type-fest-0.3.1.tgz",
@@ -8070,7 +8118,7 @@
     },
     "browserify-aes": {
       "version": "1.2.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/browserify-aes/-/browserify-aes-1.2.0.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/browserify-aes/-/browserify-aes-1.2.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-+7CHXqGuspUn/Sl5aO7Ea0xWGAtETPXNSAjHo48JfLdPWcMng33Xe4znFvQweqc/uzk5zSOI3H52CYnjCfb5hA==",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -8738,6 +8786,12 @@
             "universalify": "^0.1.0"
           }
         },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        },
         "string-width": {
           "version": "3.1.0",
           "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/string-width/-/string-width-3.1.0.tgz",
@@ -9083,6 +9137,14 @@
         "md5-hex": "^2.0.0",
         "semver": "^5.5.1",
         "well-known-symbols": "^2.0.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "config-chain": {
@@ -9523,7 +9585,7 @@
     },
     "create-hash": {
       "version": "1.2.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/create-hash/-/create-hash-1.2.0.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/create-hash/-/create-hash-1.2.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-z00bCGNHDG8mHAkP7CtT1qVu+bFQUPjYq/4Iv3C3kWjTFV10zIjfSoeqXo9Asws8gwSHDGj/hl2u4OGIjapeCg==",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -9536,7 +9598,7 @@
     },
     "create-hmac": {
       "version": "1.1.7",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/create-hmac/-/create-hmac-1.1.7.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/create-hmac/-/create-hmac-1.1.7.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-MJG9liiZ+ogc4TzUwuvbER1JRdgvUFSB5+VR/g5h82fGaIRWMWddtKBHi7/sVhfjQZ6SehlyhvQYrcYkaUIpLg==",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -10216,7 +10278,7 @@
     },
     "diffie-hellman": {
       "version": "5.0.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/diffie-hellman/-/diffie-hellman-5.0.3.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/diffie-hellman/-/diffie-hellman-5.0.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-kqag/Nl+f3GwyK25fhUMYj81BUOrZ9IuJsjIcDE5icNM9FJHAVm3VcUDxdLPoQtTuUylWm6ZIknYJwwaPxsUzg==",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -11455,6 +11517,14 @@
             "semver": "^5.5.0",
             "shebang-command": "^1.2.0",
             "which": "^1.2.9"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         }
       }
@@ -12864,6 +12934,14 @@
         "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
         "node-fetch": "^2.3.0",
         "semver": "^5.6.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "git-repo-info": {
@@ -14089,7 +14167,7 @@
     },
     "ip": {
       "version": "1.1.5",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ip/-/ip-1.1.5.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/ip/-/ip-1.1.5.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-vd7XARQpCCjAoDnnLvJfWq7ENUo=",
       "dev": true
     },
@@ -14496,6 +14574,14 @@
         "babylon": "^6.18.0",
         "istanbul-lib-coverage": "^1.2.1",
         "semver": "^5.3.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "istanbul-lib-report": {
@@ -15828,6 +15914,14 @@
       "requires": {
         "pify": "^4.0.1",
         "semver": "^5.6.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "map-cache": {
@@ -16505,6 +16599,14 @@
               "requires": {
                 "pify": "^4.0.1",
                 "semver": "^5.6.0"
+              },
+              "dependencies": {
+                "semver": {
+                  "version": "5.7.1",
+                  "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+                  "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+                  "dev": true
+                }
               }
             }
           }
@@ -17646,6 +17748,14 @@
         "resolve": "^1.10.0",
         "semver": "2 || 3 || 4 || 5",
         "validate-npm-package-license": "^3.0.1"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
       }
     },
     "normalize-path": {
@@ -18306,6 +18416,14 @@
             "semver": "^5.5.0",
             "shebang-command": "^1.2.0",
             "which": "^1.2.9"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         }
       }
@@ -19588,9 +19706,9 @@
       }
     },
     "semver": {
-      "version": "5.7.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-Ya52jSX2u7QKghxeoFGpLwCtGlt7j0oY9DYb5apt9nPlJ42ID+ulTXESnt/qAQcoSERyZ5sl3LDIOw0nAn/5DA==",
+      "version": "7.3.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-7.3.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-OrOb32TeeambH6UrhtShmF7CRDqhL6/5XpPNp2DuRH6+9QLw/orhp72j87v8Qa1ScDkvrrBNpZcDejAirJmfXQ==",
       "dev": true
     },
     "semver-compare": {
@@ -19768,7 +19886,7 @@
     },
     "sha.js": {
       "version": "2.4.11",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/sha.js/-/sha.js-2.4.11.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/sha.js/-/sha.js-2.4.11.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-QMEp5B7cftE7APOjk5Y6xgrbWu+WkLVQwk8JNjZ8nKRciZaByEW6MubieAiToS7+dwvrjGhH8jRXz3MVd0AYqQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -21216,7 +21334,7 @@
     },
     "tty-browserify": {
       "version": "0.0.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tty-browserify/-/tty-browserify-0.0.0.tgz",
+      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/tty-browserify/-/tty-browserify-0.0.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-oVe6QC2iTpv5V/mqadUk7tQpAaY=",
       "dev": true
     },
@@ -21701,6 +21819,14 @@
             "registry-auth-token": "^3.0.1",
             "registry-url": "^3.0.3",
             "semver": "^5.1.0"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         },
         "pify": {
@@ -21741,6 +21867,14 @@
           "dev": true,
           "requires": {
             "semver": "^5.0.3"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         },
         "term-size": {
@@ -22177,6 +22311,14 @@
             "semver": "^5.5.0",
             "shebang-command": "^1.2.0",
             "which": "^1.2.9"
+          },
+          "dependencies": {
+            "semver": {
+              "version": "5.7.1",
+              "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.1.tgz",
+              "integrity": "sha512-sauaDf/PZdVgrLTNYHRtpXa1iRiKcaebiKQ1BJdpQlWH2lCvexQdX55snPFyK7QzpudqbCI0qXFfOasHdyNDGQ==",
+              "dev": true
+            }
           }
         },
         "emojis-list": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index eeab2d8174a..3042864d080 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@
     "@babel/preset-env": "^7.9.6",
     "@babel/preset-typescript": "^7.9.0",
     "@babel/register": "^7.9.0",
-    "@itsjamie/esdoc-core": "^0.3.0",
     "@itsjamie/esdoc-cli": "^0.3.0",
+    "@itsjamie/esdoc-core": "^0.3.0",
     "@itsjamie/esdoc-ecmascript-proposal-plugin": "^0.3.0",
     "@itsjamie/esdoc-standard-plugin": "^0.3.0",
     "@itsjamie/esdoc-typescript-plugin": "^0.3.0",
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@
     "mocha": "^8.0.1",
     "netlify-cli": "^2.36.0",
     "selenium-webdriver": "^3.1.0",
+    "semver": "^7.3.2",
     "sinon": "^9.0.1",
     "sinon-chai": "^3.5.0",
     "typescript": "^3.7.4",
diff --git a/scripts/set-package-version.js b/scripts/set-package-version.js
index b51079c8fac..ad76b62b168 100755
--- a/scripts/set-package-version.js
+++ b/scripts/set-package-version.js
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 const fs = require('fs');
 const versionParser = require('./version-parser.js');
 const packageJson = require('../package.json');
+const { isValidStableVersion, incrementPatch } = require('./version-parser.js');
 
 const TRAVIS_MODE = process.env.TRAVIS_MODE;
+const latestVersion = getLatestVersionTag();
 let newVersion = '';
 
 try {
@@ -16,39 +18,43 @@ try {
     }
     // remove v
     newVersion = tag.substring(1);
-  } else if (TRAVIS_MODE === 'releaseCanary' || TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyPr' || TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyBranch') {
+    if (!versionParser.isDefinitelyGreaterThanAlphas(newVersion)) {
+      // 1.2.3-0.alpha.500
+      // 1.2.3-0.alpha.501
+      // 1.2.3-0.aaalpha.custom => bad
+      // 1.2.3-0.aaalpha.custom.0.alpha.503 => now lower than 1.2.3-0.alpha.501
+      throw new Error(`It's possible that "${newVersion}" has a lower precedense than an existing alpha version which is not allowed.`);
+    }
+  } else if (TRAVIS_MODE === 'releaseAlpha' || TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyPr' || TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyBranch') {
     // bump patch in version from latest git tag
-    const latestRelease = getLatestVersionTag();
-    const latestStable = getLatestStableVersionTag();
-    const preRelease = latestRelease !== latestStable;
-    console.log('latestRelease', latestRelease);
-    console.log('latestStable', latestStable);
+    let intermediateVersion = latestVersion;
+    const isStable = isValidStableVersion(intermediateVersion);
 
-    // remove v
-    newVersion = latestRelease.substring(1);
-    if (!preRelease) {
-      let matched = false;
-      newVersion = newVersion.replace(/^(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+).*$/, function (_, major, minor, patch) {
-        matched = true;
-        return major + '.' + minor + '.' + (parseInt(patch, 10) + 1);
-      });
-      if (!matched) {
-        throw new Error('Error calculating version.');
-      }
+    // if last git tagged version is a prerelease we should append `.0.<type>.<commit num>`
+    // if the last git tagged version is a stable version then we should append `-0.<type>.<commit num>` and increment the patch
+    // `type` can be `pr`, `branch`, or `alpha`
+    if (isStable) {
+      intermediateVersion = incrementPatch(intermediateVersion);
     }
 
-    const preReleaseDelimiter = preRelease ? '.' : '-';
-    if (TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyPr') {
-      newVersion += `${preReleaseDelimiter}pr.${getCommitHash().substr(0, 8)}`;
-    } else if (TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyBranch') {
-      newVersion += `${preReleaseDelimiter}branch.${process.env.BRANCH/* set by netlify */.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '_')}.${getCommitHash().substr(0, 8)}`;
-    } else {
-      newVersion += `${preReleaseDelimiter}alpha.${getCommitNum()}`;
-    }
+    // remove v
+    intermediateVersion = intermediateVersion.substring(1);
+
+    const suffix = TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyPr'
+      ? `pr.${getCommitHash().substr(0, 8)}`
+      : TRAVIS_MODE === 'netlifyBranch'
+        ? `branch.${process.env.BRANCH/* set by netlify */.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '-')}.${getCommitHash().substr(0, 8)}`
+        : `0.alpha.${getCommitNum()}`;
+
+    newVersion = `${intermediateVersion}${isStable ? '-' : '.'}${suffix}`;
   } else {
     throw new Error('Unsupported travis mode: ' + TRAVIS_MODE);
   }
 
+  if (!versionParser.isGreater(newVersion, latestVersion)) {
+    throw new Error(`New version "${newVersion}" is not > than latest version "${latestVersion}" on this branch.`);
+  }
+
   packageJson.version = newVersion;
   fs.writeFileSync('./package.json', JSON.stringify(packageJson));
   console.log('Set version: ' + newVersion);
@@ -81,21 +87,6 @@ function getLatestVersionTag () {
   }
 }
 
-function getLatestStableVersionTag () {
-  let commitish = '';
-  while (true) {
-    const tag = exec('git describe --abbrev=0 --match="v*" ' + commitish);
-    if (!tag) {
-      throw new Error('Could not find tag.');
-    }
-    if (versionParser.isValidStableVersion(tag)) {
-      return tag;
-    }
-    // next time search older tags than this one
-    commitish = tag + '~1';
-  }
-}
-
 function exec (cmd) {
   return require('child_process').execSync(cmd).toString().trim();
 }
diff --git a/scripts/travis.sh b/scripts/travis.sh
index 8becc60c9d4..d494a7b5a91 100755
--- a/scripts/travis.sh
+++ b/scripts/travis.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "funcTests" ]; then
   if [ ${n} = ${maxRetries} ]; then
     exit 1
   fi
-elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "netlifyPr" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "netlifyBranch" ]; then
+elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseAlpha" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "netlifyPr" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "netlifyBranch" ]; then
   # update the version
   if [[ $(git rev-parse --is-shallow-repository) = "true" ]]; then
     # make sure everything is fetched https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-ci/issues/3412
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]
   npm run type-check
   npm run build:ci
 
-  if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]; then
+  if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseAlpha" ]; then
     # unit tests don't work on netlify because they need chrome
     npm run test:unit
 
@@ -59,11 +59,11 @@ elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]
       # write the token to config
       # see https://docs.npmjs.com/private-modules/ci-server-config
       echo "//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${NPM_TOKEN}" >> .npmrc
-      if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]; then
-        npm publish --tag canary
-        echo "Published canary."
-        curl https://purge.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@canary
-        curl https://purge.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@canary/dist/hls-demo.js
+      if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseAlpha" ]; then 
+        npm publish --tag alpha
+        echo "Published alpha."
+        curl https://purge.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@alpha
+        curl https://purge.jsdelivr.net/npm/hls.js@alpha/dist/hls-demo.js
         echo "Cleared jsdelivr cache."
       elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ]; then
         tag=$(node ./scripts/get-version-tag.js)
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ elif [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]
   npm run docs
 
   ./scripts/build-netlify.sh
-  if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseCanary" ]; then
+  if [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "release" ] || [ "${TRAVIS_MODE}" = "releaseAlpha" ]; then
     ./scripts/deploy-netlify.sh
   fi
 else
diff --git a/scripts/version-parser.js b/scripts/version-parser.js
index 13c1b7c3783..5cca01b8fed 100644
--- a/scripts/version-parser.js
+++ b/scripts/version-parser.js
@@ -1,29 +1,59 @@
 'use strict';
 
+const semver = require('semver');
+
 const VALID_VERSION_REGEX = /^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+(?:-([a-zA-Z][0-9a-zA-Z-]*))?/;
 const STABLE_VERSION_REGEX = /^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/;
 
 module.exports = {
-  isValidVersion: function (version) {
+  isValidVersion: (version) => {
     return VALID_VERSION_REGEX.test(version);
   },
-  isValidStableVersion: function (version) {
+  isValidStableVersion: (version) => {
     return STABLE_VERSION_REGEX.test(version);
   },
+  incrementPatch: (version) => {
+    const newVersion = semver.inc('patch', version);
+    if (!newVersion) {
+      throw new Error('Error incrementing patch.');
+    }
+    return newVersion;
+  },
+  isGreater: (newVersion, previousVersion) => {
+    return semver.gt(newVersion, previousVersion);
+  },
+  // returns true if the provided version is definitely greater than any existing
+  // auto generated alpha versions
+  isDefinitelyGreaterThanAlphas: (version) => {
+    const parsed = semver.parse(version, { loose: false, includePrerelease: true });
+    if (!parsed) {
+      throw new Error('Error parsing version.');
+    }
+
+    // anything after a part of `0` must be greater than `alpha`
+    let hadZero = false;
+    return parsed.prerelease.every((part) => {
+      if (hadZero && part <= 'alpha') {
+        return false;
+      } else {
+        hadZero = false;
+      }
+      if (part === 0) {
+        hadZero = true;
+      }
+      return true;
+    });
+  },
   // extract what we should use as the npm dist-tag (https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/dist-tag)
   // e.g
   // v1.2.3-beta => beta
   // v1.2.3-beta.1 => beta
-  // v1.2.3-beta.1.alpha.53 => alpha
   // v1.2.3 => latest
-  getVersionTag: function (version) {
+  getVersionTag: (version) => {
     const match = VALID_VERSION_REGEX.exec(version);
     if (!match) {
       throw new Error('Invalid version.');
     }
-    if (match[3] === 'alpha') {
-      return match[3];
-    }
     return match[1] || 'latest';
   }
 };