Versioning and Release Management

Versioning and release management are critical components of the software development life cycle (SDLC). They help teams manage changes in the codebase, maintain a history of changes, and streamline the release of software products.

2.1 What is Versioning?

Versioning is the process of assigning unique version numbers to specific iterations of a software product. This helps in tracking changes and maintaining compatibility.

2.2 Semantic Versioning

Semantic Versioning (SemVer) is a versioning scheme that uses a three-part version number: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

• MAJOR: Incremented for incompatible changes.
• MINOR: Incremented for backward-compatible functionality.
• PATCH: Incremented for backward-compatible bug fixes.

2.3 Example of Versioning

1.0.0  # Initial release
1.1.0  # Added a new feature
1.1.1  # Fixed a bug
2.0.0  # Major changes, breaking compatibility

3.1 What is Release Management?

Release management is the process of planning, scheduling, and controlling the build and deployment of releases. It involves ensuring that software is delivered to users in a reliable and efficient manner.

3.2 Steps in Release Management

1. Planning the release.
2. Building the release artifacts.
3. Testing the release.
4. Deploying the release.
5. Monitoring the release.

3.3 Flowchart of Release Management Process

graph TD;
                A[Start] --> B[Planning];
                B --> C[Build];
                C --> D[Test];
                D --> E[Deploy];
                E --> F[Monitor];
                F --> G[End];

4.1 Key Best Practices

• Adopt Semantic Versioning for clarity.
• Automate the release process to reduce human error.
• Maintain a changelog for transparency.
• Use feature flags for gradual deployment.