diff --git a/src/Common/ClickHouseVersion.cpp b/src/Common/ClickHouseVersion.cpp
index dd1d4d0fbb3c..e0b66ccd01f5 100644
--- a/src/Common/ClickHouseVersion.cpp
+++ b/src/Common/ClickHouseVersion.cpp
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 #include <IO/ReadHelpers.h>
 
 #include <boost/algorithm/string.hpp>
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/join.hpp>
 
 #include <fmt/ranges.h>
 
@@ -30,12 +29,13 @@ ClickHouseVersion::ClickHouseVersion(std::string_view version)
         ReadBufferFromString buf(split[i]);
         if (!tryReadIntText(component, buf) || !buf.eof())
         {
-            /// Non-numeric component (e.g. "altinityantalya"): treat this and remaining parts as suffix.
-            /// Valid version must have at least one numeric component (e.g. "26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya").
-            if (components.empty())
+            /// The first non-numeric token is treated as a build suffix (e.g. "altinityantalya"
+            /// in "26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya"). To prevent silently accepting malformed versions
+            /// like "26..1", "26.1." or "26.x.1", the suffix must be a single, non-empty, trailing
+            /// token, preceded by at least one numeric component.
+            if (components.empty() || i + 1 != split.size() || split[i].empty())
                 throw Exception{ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS, "Cannot parse ClickHouse version here: {}", version};
-            Strings suffix_parts(split.begin() + i, split.end());
-            suffix = boost::algorithm::join(suffix_parts, ".");
+            suffix = split[i];
             break;
         }
         components.push_back(component);
diff --git a/src/Common/tests/gtest_ch_version.cpp b/src/Common/tests/gtest_ch_version.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b11f79b25b56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Common/tests/gtest_ch_version.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+#include <compare>
+#include <Common/ClickHouseVersion.h>
+#include <Common/Exception.h>
+
+using namespace DB;
+
+/// Canonical, well-formed versions must parse and round-trip through toString() unchanged.
+TEST(ClickHouseVersion, ParsesValidVersions)
+{
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26").toString(), "26");                     /// single numeric component
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.1").toString(), "26.1");                 /// short two-component form
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("25.3").toString(), "25.3");                 /// real-world `compatibility` value
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001").toString(), "26.3.1.20001"); /// full upstream-shaped version
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya").toString(),
+              "26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya");                              /// canonical Antalya build string
+}
+
+/// The suffix handling must stay generic: any single trailing non-numeric token is a valid
+/// suffix, no matter its text or how many numeric components precede it.
+TEST(ClickHouseVersion, ParsesSuffixedVariants)
+{
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001.altinitystable").toString(),
+              "26.3.1.20001.altinitystable");                               /// different suffix text still accepted
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001.altinityfips").toString(),
+              "26.3.1.20001.altinityfips");                                 /// another suffix variant
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.1.altinityantalya").toString(),
+              "26.1.altinityantalya");                                      /// suffix after only two components (non-canonical, still valid)
+    EXPECT_EQ(ClickHouseVersion("26.altinityantalya").toString(),
+              "26.altinityantalya");                                        /// suffix after a single component
+}
+
+/// Malformed inputs must fail fast instead of silently parsing to a different version
+TEST(ClickHouseVersion, RejectsMalformedVersions)
+{
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26..1"), Exception);   /// empty middle component
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.1."), Exception);   /// trailing dot -> empty trailing token
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.x.1"), Exception);  /// non-numeric token that is not the last token
+
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion(""), Exception);              /// empty string
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("."), Exception);            /// lone separator, no numeric component
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion(".26"), Exception);          /// leading dot -> empty first component
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.."), Exception);         /// two empty trailing tokens
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001."), Exception);/// trailing dot after a full version
+
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("altinityantalya"), Exception);          /// suffix with no numeric component at all
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.altinityantalya.1"), Exception);     /// suffix is not the last token
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001.altinityantalya.1"), Exception); /// junk token after an otherwise-valid suffix
+
+    EXPECT_THROW(ClickHouseVersion("v26.1"), Exception);   /// alphabetic prefix where a number is required
+}
+
+/// Ordering compares numeric components first (element by element, shorter list is smaller),
+/// then breaks ties on the suffix string lexicographically.
+TEST(ClickHouseVersion, ComparesByComponentsThenSuffix)
+{
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ClickHouseVersion("26.1") < ClickHouseVersion("26.2"));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ClickHouseVersion("25.8") < ClickHouseVersion("26.1"));
+
+    /// 26.1 < 26.1.0  (a trailing .0 makes it "greater" -- can be surprising, so pin it)
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ClickHouseVersion("26.1") < ClickHouseVersion("26.1.0"));
+
+    /// with equal components, no suffix sorts before any suffix ("" < "altinityantalya")
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ClickHouseVersion("26.1.3.20001") < ClickHouseVersion("26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya"));
+
+    /// with equal components, suffixes order lexicographically: "...antalya" < "...stable"
+    EXPECT_TRUE(std::is_lt(ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001.altinityantalya")
+                       <=> ClickHouseVersion("26.3.1.20001.altinitystable")));
+
+    /// identical strings compare equal
+    EXPECT_TRUE(std::is_eq(ClickHouseVersion("26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya")
+                       <=> ClickHouseVersion("26.1.3.20001.altinityantalya")));
+}