/prepare-release

Prepare Release Command

Prepare and validate release packages

Instructions

Follow this systematic approach to prepare a release: **$ARGUMENTS**

1. **Release Planning and Validation**

• Determine release version number (semantic versioning)
• Review and validate all features included in release
• Check that all planned issues and features are complete
• Verify release criteria and acceptance requirements

2. **Pre-Release Checklist**

• Ensure all tests are passing (unit, integration, E2E)
• Verify code coverage meets project standards
• Complete security vulnerability scanning
• Perform performance testing and validation
• Review and approve all pending pull requests

3. **Version Management**

   # Check current version
   git describe --tags --abbrev=0
   
   # Determine next version (semantic versioning)
   # MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
   # MAJOR: Breaking changes
   # MINOR: New features (backward compatible)
   # PATCH: Bug fixes (backward compatible)
   
   # Example version updates
   # 1.2.3 -> 1.2.4 (patch)
   # 1.2.3 -> 1.3.0 (minor)
   # 1.2.3 -> 2.0.0 (major)

4. **Code Freeze and Branch Management**

   # Create release branch from main
   git checkout main
   git pull origin main
   git checkout -b release/v1.2.3
   
   # Alternative: Use main branch directly for smaller releases
   # Ensure no new features are merged during release process

5. **Version Number Updates**

• Update package.json, setup.py, or equivalent version files
• Update version in application configuration
• Update version in documentation and README
• Update API version if applicable

   # Node.js projects
   npm version patch  # or minor, major
   
   # Python projects
   # Update version in setup.py, __init__.py, or pyproject.toml
   
   # Manual version update
   sed -i 's/"version": "1.2.2"/"version": "1.2.3"/' package.json

6. **Changelog Generation**

   # CHANGELOG.md
   
   ## [1.2.3] - 2024-01-15
   
   ### Added
   - New user authentication system
   - Dark mode support for UI
   - API rate limiting functionality
   
   ### Changed
   - Improved database query performance
   - Updated user interface design
   - Enhanced error handling
   
   ### Fixed
   - Fixed memory leak in background tasks
   - Resolved issue with file upload validation
   - Fixed timezone handling in date calculations
   
   ### Security
   - Updated dependencies with security patches
   - Improved input validation and sanitization

7. **Documentation Updates**

• Update API documentation with new endpoints
• Revise user documentation and guides
• Update installation and deployment instructions
• Review and update README.md
• Update migration guides if needed

8. **Dependency Management**

   # Update and audit dependencies
   npm audit fix
   npm update
   
   # Python
   pip-audit
   pip freeze > requirements.txt
   
   # Review security vulnerabilities
   npm audit
   snyk test

9. **Build and Artifact Generation**

   # Clean build environment
   npm run clean
   rm -rf dist/ build/
   
   # Build production artifacts
   npm run build
   
   # Verify build artifacts
   ls -la dist/
   
   # Test built artifacts
   npm run test:build

10. **Testing and Quality Assurance**

• Run comprehensive test suite
• Perform manual testing of critical features
• Execute regression testing
• Conduct user acceptance testing
• Validate in staging environment

    # Run all tests
    npm test
    npm run test:integration
    npm run test:e2e
    
    # Check code coverage
    npm run test:coverage
    
    # Performance testing
    npm run test:performance

11. **Security and Compliance Verification**

• Run security scans and penetration testing
• Verify compliance with security standards
• Check for exposed secrets or credentials
• Validate data protection and privacy measures

12. **Release Notes Preparation**

    # Release Notes v1.2.3
    
    ## 🎉 What's New
    - **Dark Mode**: Users can now switch to dark mode in settings
    - **Enhanced Security**: Improved authentication with 2FA support
    - **Performance**: 40% faster page load times
    
    ## 🔧 Improvements
    - Better error messages for form validation
    - Improved mobile responsiveness
    - Enhanced accessibility features
    
    ## 🐛 Bug Fixes
    - Fixed issue with file downloads in Safari
    - Resolved memory leak in background tasks
    - Fixed timezone display issues
    
    ## 📚 Documentation
    - Updated API documentation
    - New user onboarding guide
    - Enhanced troubleshooting section
    
    ## 🔄 Migration Guide
    - No breaking changes in this release
    - Automatic database migrations included
    - See [Migration Guide](link) for details

13. **Release Tagging and Versioning**

    # Create annotated tag
    git add .
    git commit -m "chore: prepare release v1.2.3"
    git tag -a v1.2.3 -m "Release version 1.2.3
    
    Features:
    - Dark mode support
    - Enhanced authentication
    
    Bug fixes:
    - Fixed file upload issues
    - Resolved memory leaks"
    
    # Push tag to remote
    git push origin v1.2.3
    git push origin release/v1.2.3

14. **Deployment Preparation**

• Prepare deployment scripts and configurations
• Update environment variables and secrets
• Plan deployment strategy (blue-green, rolling, canary)
• Set up monitoring and alerting for release
• Prepare rollback procedures

15. **Staging Environment Validation**

    # Deploy to staging
    ./deploy-staging.sh v1.2.3
    
    # Run smoke tests
    npm run test:smoke:staging
    
    # Manual validation checklist
    # [ ] User login/logout
    # [ ] Core functionality
    # [ ] New features
    # [ ] Performance metrics
    # [ ] Security checks

16. **Productio