semantic-release

semantic-release automates the entire release workflow for a software package: it decides the next version number, generates release notes and publishes the package. By deriving versions from the content of commits, it removes human guesswork and mood from numbering and follows the Semantic Versioning specification so consumers can tell how big a change is.

It relies on a structured commit message convention that records what changed in the codebase, so each merge to a release branch can trigger a new release automatically. Features and fixes become available to users immediately, maintainers and users can be notified of new versions, and releases can be published on different distribution channels, for example npm dist-tags, depending on the branch. It plugs into continuous integration systems, which avoids the errors of manual releases.

Plugins let it support any package manager and language, and configuration is simple and reusable through shareable configs. semantic-release is written in JavaScript, MIT licensed and runs in your own CI environment, so there is no service to host. It suits open-source maintainers and teams that ship libraries frequently.