graph LR
    A[Feature Complete] --> B[Create Release Branch]
    B --> C[Update Version]
    C --> D[Update Changelog]
    D --> E[Run Tests]
    E --> F{Tests Pass?}
    F -->|No| G[Fix Issues]
    G --> E
    F -->|Yes| H[Create Tag]
    H --> I[Create GitHub Release]
    I --> J[Deploy to Production]
    J --> K[Merge to Main]
    K --> L[Delete Release Branch]

# Git flow style
git checkout -b release/v2.0.0
git checkout -b hotfix/v2.0.1

# Trunk-based development
git checkout main
git tag v2.0.0
git push origin v2.0.0

# Feature flag releases
# Deploy features behind flags
# Enable flags in release

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH-PRERELEASE+BUILD

Examples:
1.0.0              # First stable release
2.1.3              # Patch release
3.0.0-beta.1        # Beta release
1.2.0+20130313144700 # With build metadata

# .github/workflows/version-bump.yml
name: Bump Version

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [closed]
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  bump:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Bump version
        uses: phips28/gh-action-bump-version@master
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
        with:
          target-branch: main
          commit-message: 'Bump version to {{version}}'
          major-wording: 'BREAKING CHANGE:'
          minor-wording: 'feat:'
          patch-wording: 'fix:'

# CHANGELOG.md

## [Unreleased]

### Added
- New user authentication system
- OAuth2 integration with Google

### Changed
- Updated API response format
- Improved database query performance

### Deprecated
- Old authentication endpoint will be removed in v3.0

### Removed
- Removed legacy user management module

### Fixed
- Fixed login timeout issue
- Fixed memory leak in background jobs

### Security
- Added rate limiting to prevent DoS attacks

## [2.0.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added
- Complete rewrite of payment system
- Support for multiple payment gateways

### Breaking
- Payment API endpoints changed (see migration guide)

## [1.5.0] - 2024-01-01

### Added
- User profile management
- Email notifications

# .github/workflows/changelog.yml
name: Update Changelog

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  changelog:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Generate changelog
        uses: butlerlogic/action-autotag@stable
        with:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          tag_prefix: "v"

# .github/workflows/release.yml
name: Create Release

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Build artifacts
        run: |
          npm ci
          npm run build
          zip -r release.zip dist/

      - name: Create Release
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          files: release.zip
          generate_release_notes: true
          draft: false
          prerelease: ${{ contains(github.ref, 'alpha') || contains(github.ref, 'beta') }}
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

# .github/workflows/release-notes.yml
name: Generate Release Notes

on:
  release:
    types: [created]

jobs:
  notes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Generate notes
        uses: actions/github-script@v6
        with:
          script: |
            const release = context.payload.release;
            const notes = `## What's New

            ### Features
            - Feature 1
            - Feature 2

            ### Bug Fixes
            - Bug fix 1
            - Bug fix 2

            ### Breaking Changes
            - Breaking change 1

            See [full changelog](CHANGELOG.md) for details.`;

            await github.rest.repos.updateRelease({
              owner: context.repo.owner,
              repo: context.repo.repo,
              release_id: release.id,
              body: notes
            });

# Upload assets to release
gh release create v2.0.0 \
  --title "Version 2.0.0" \
  --notes "Release notes here" \
  ./dist/app.zip \
  ./dist/app.dmg \
  ./docs/manual.pdf

# List release assets
gh release view v2.0.0 --json assets

# Delete release asset
gh api \
  --method DELETE \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/:owner/:repo/releases/assets/:asset_id

## Pre-Release Checklist

### Testing
- [ ] All automated tests pass
- [ ] Manual QA completed
- [ ] Performance testing passed
- [ ] Security audit completed
- [ ] Integration testing passed

### Documentation
- [ ] Changelog updated
- [ ] Release notes written
- [ ] API documentation updated
- [ ] User guide updated
- [ ] Migration guide created (if needed)

### Code Quality
- [ ] Code review completed
- [ ] All PRs merged
- [ ] No outstanding issues
- [ ] Dependencies updated
- [ ] Version numbers updated

### Preparation
- [ ] Release branch created
- [ ] Version number bumped
- [ ] Tag created
- [ ] Assets built and tested
- [ ] Deployment plan ready

## Release Checklist

### Actions
- [ ] GitHub release created
- [ ] Assets uploaded
- [ ] Release notes published
- [ ] Announcement email sent
- [ ] Blog post published
- [ ] Social media announcement

### Verification
- [ ] Download links work
- [ ] Installation instructions verified
- [ ] Quick start guide tested
- [ ] Known issues documented
- [ ] Support team notified

## Post-Release Checklist

### Monitoring
- [ ] Error rates monitored
- [ ] Performance metrics checked
- [ ] User feedback collected
- [ ] Support tickets reviewed
- [ ] Analytics verified

### Cleanup
- [ ] Release branch deleted
- [ ] Hotfix branches cleaned
- [ ] Temporary files removed
- [ ] Test data cleared
- [ ] Documentation finalized

### Follow-up
- [ ] Release retrospective held
- [ ] Lessons learned documented
- [ ] Next release planned
- [ ] Backlog updated
- [ ] Team debrief completed

# Create release
gh release create v2.0.0 \
  --title "Version 2.0.0" \
  --notes "Release notes here"

# Create release with assets
gh release create v2.0.0 \
  --title "Version 2.0.0" \
  --notes "Release notes here" \
  ./dist/app.zip

# Create pre-release
gh release create v2.0.0-beta.1 \
  --title "Beta 2.0.0" \
  --notes "Beta release notes" \
  --prerelease

# List releases
gh release list

# View release details
gh release view v2.0.0

# Delete release
gh release delete v2.0.0

# Edit release
gh release edit v2.0.0 --notes "Updated notes"

# Download release asset
gh release download v2.0.0 -D ./downloads

# Using npm version
npm version major    # 1.0.0 → 2.0.0
npm version minor    # 1.0.0 → 1.1.0
npm version patch    # 1.0.0 → 1.0.1

# Using semantic-release
npx semantic-release

# Using standard-version
npx standard-version