Semantic Release

Basic Information

• Developer: Semantic Release Community
• Country/Region: Global Open Source Community
• Official Website: https://semantic-release.gitbook.io
• GitHub: https://github.com/semantic-release/semantic-release
• npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/semantic-release
• Type: Automated Version Management and Release Tool
• License: MIT

Product Description

Semantic Release is a fully automated package release workflow tool that can automatically determine the next semantic version number, generate release notes, and publish the package. By analyzing commit messages (defaulting to Angular Commit Message Conventions), Semantic Release removes the direct link between human emotion and version numbers, strictly adhering to the Semantic Versioning (SemVer) specification.

Core Features/Characteristics

• Automatic Version Calculation: Automatically determines major/minor/patch versions based on commit messages
• Changelog Generation: Automatically generates release notes and CHANGELOG
• Automatic Publishing: Automatically publishes to npm and other registries
• Git Tagging: Automatically creates Git tags
• GitHub Release: Automatically creates GitHub Releases
• npm Provenance: Supports signing proofs to enhance supply chain security
• Commit Convention: Uses Conventional Commits specification
• Plugin System: Rich plugin ecosystem supporting custom release processes

Workflow

1. Developers write commit messages following the Conventional Commits specification
2. CI/CD is triggered when code is merged into the main branch
3. Semantic Release analyzes commit messages to determine the version type
4. Automatically updates the version number, generates CHANGELOG, and creates Git tags
5. Automatically publishes to npm and creates GitHub Releases

Commit Types and Version Relationships

• fix: -> patch version (Bug fixes)
• feat: -> minor version (New features)
• BREAKING CHANGE: -> major version (Breaking changes)

Business Model

• Completely Free and Open Source: MIT License
• Community Maintained: Continuously maintained by the open-source community

Differences from Changesets

• Semantic Release is fully automated, inferring versions from commit messages
• Changesets require explicit creation of changeset files
• Semantic Release is more suitable for single-package projects
• Changesets are more suitable for Monorepos

Relationship with the OpenClaw Ecosystem

Semantic Release is an optional semantic release tool for OpenClaw. For independent packages or tools within the OpenClaw ecosystem, Semantic Release can be used to achieve fully automated version releases. Its deep integration with GitHub Actions and support for npm Provenance ensures the security and traceability of the release process.