RELEASING.md

How to Create an "az capi" Release

1. Check out code at the correct commit.

   Currently this project releases from the main branch. Make sure your local copy of the code is up to date:

   git checkout main
   git fetch upstream
   git rebase upstream/main

2. Choose the next semantic version.

   In the pre-release phase, all releases are patches. Choose the next patch version, such as v0.0.6:

   git describe --tags --abbrev=0
   export RELEASE_VERSION=v0.0.6

3. Verify that setup.py references the new version.

   In the file src/capi/setup.py, set VERSION to the new version and save the file.

4. Update HISTORY.rst with release notes for the new version.

   In the file src/capi/HISTORY.rst, add a section for the new version with a short summary of the important changes. Save the file and git commit both HISTORY.rst and setup.py from the previous step.

   git add src/capi/HISTORY.rst src/capi/setup.py
   git commit -m "Update HISTORY.rst and setup.py for ${RELEASE_VERSION}"

5. Tag the code and push it upstream.

   git push upstream main
   git tag -a $RELEASE_VERSION -m "Release $RELEASE_VERSION"
   git push upstream $RELEASE_VERSION

6. Wait for the GitHub action to create a draft release.

   A GitHub Action will run against the release tag. When it completes, it will create a draft release.

7. Update the draft release and publish it.

   Follow the general format of previous release notes, starting with a high-level summary of user-facing changes.

   If the release notes reference merge commits authored by a bot, click through to the original PR, then update the reference so that the actual author is credited.

   Once you are satisfied with your changes, publish the release so it's no longer a draft. Leave the "pre-release" checkbox checked until az capi reaches v1.0.

8. Publicize the release.

   Announce the new release on the CAPZ Slack channel.