Release Management and Distribution #12
Description
Summary
Implement a comprehensive release management strategy for distributing Samoid binaries across multiple platforms and package managers, ensuring easy installation and updates for users.
High Level Overview
Release Infrastructure
Status: ✅ Comprehensive implementation in place
Automated Release Workflow (.github/workflows/release.yml)
Status: ✅ Fully implemented
- Triggers: Version tags (v*), manual workflow dispatch ✅
- Validation: Version tag format and Cargo.toml consistency ✅
- Multi-platform builds: Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (x86_64, aarch64), Windows (x86_64, i686) ✅
- Release artifacts: Automated GitHub release creation with binaries ✅
- Changelog generation: Conventional commit parsing with categorized sections ✅
- Crates.io publishing: Automated for stable releases ✅
Dependency Management
Status: ✅ Implemented via Dependabot
- Configuration:
.github/dependabot.ymlwith weekly updates ✅ - Scope: Cargo dependencies and GitHub Actions ✅
Package Manager Distribution
Status:
Core Distribution Channels
- Cargo/crates.io: ✅ Fully automated with
CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN - GitHub Releases: ✅ Direct binary downloads with comprehensive platform support
- Homebrew: ❌ Formula and tap repository not implemented
- Scoop/Chocolatey: ❌ Windows package manager manifests not implemented
- APT/YUM: ❌ Linux repository infrastructure not implemented
- Installation script: ❌
curl | shconvenience script not implemented
Acceptance Criteria
Core Release Infrastructure
- AC12.1 Semantic versioning (SemVer) compliance
- AC12.2 Automated changelog generation from conventional commits
- AC12.3 Multi-platform binary distribution (Linux, macOS, Windows)
- AC12.4 Cryptographic signing of release artifacts
- AC12.5 Version management in Cargo.toml
- AC12.6 Pre-release and beta channel support
- AC12.7 Release notes with breaking changes clearly marked
Package Manager Integration
- AC12.8 Cargo (crates.io) for Rust developers
- AC12.9 Homebrew formula for macOS/Linux users
- AC12.10 Scoop/Chocolatey manifests for Windows users
- AC12.11 APT/YUM repository setup for Linux distributions
- AC12.12 Direct binary downloads from GitHub releases
- AC12.13 Installation script for quick setup (
curl | shpattern)
Release Management
- AC12.14 Backwards compatibility policy documentation
- AC12.15 Release workflow automation with GitHub Actions
Details
AC12.1: Semantic versioning (SemVer) compliance
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Release workflow validates version format against SemVer standards
- Supports pre-release versions (e.g., 1.0.0-beta.1)
- Version consistency checks between git tags and Cargo.toml
AC12.2: Automated changelog generation from conventional commits
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Conventional commit parsing in release workflow
- Categorized sections: Features, Bug Fixes, Performance, Other Changes
- Automatic contributor attribution and full changelog links
AC12.3: Multi-platform binary distribution (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Comprehensive platform matrix: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu, x86_64-apple-darwin, aarch64-apple-darwin, x86_64-pc-windows-msvc, i686-pc-windows-msvc
- Cross-compilation support for ARM Linux builds
- Proper archive formats (tar.gz for Unix, zip for Windows)
AC12.4: Cryptographic signing of release artifacts
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Requirements: Implement GPG signing for release artifacts
- Security: Verify authenticity and integrity of distributed binaries
- Implementation needed: Add signing step to release workflow
AC12.5: Version management in Cargo.toml
Status: ✅ Completed
- Current version: 0.1.2 with proper semantic versioning
- Release workflow validates version consistency
AC12.6: Pre-release and beta channel support
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Automatic detection of pre-release versions via tag pattern
- GitHub releases marked appropriately for pre-releases
- Conditional crates.io publishing (stable releases only)
AC12.7: Release notes with breaking changes clearly marked
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Changelog generation parses conventional commits
- Breaking changes identified through commit message patterns
- Structured release notes with clear categorization
AC12.8: Cargo (crates.io) for Rust developers
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Automated publishing workflow with
CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN - Package verification before publishing
- Limited to stable releases (no pre-release publishing)
AC12.9: Homebrew formula for macOS/Linux users
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Requirements: Create Homebrew formula (samoid.rb)
- Distribution: Set up tap repository or contribute to homebrew-core
- Automation: Update formula automatically on releases
AC12.10: Scoop/Chocolatey manifests for Windows users
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Scoop: Create JSON manifest for Scoop package manager
- Chocolatey: Create NuSpec manifest for Chocolatey
- Automation: Update manifests automatically on releases
AC12.11: APT/YUM repository setup for Linux distributions
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Scope: This is complex infrastructure requiring repository hosting
- Alternative: Focus on binary releases and package manager formulas
- Recommendation: Consider this lower priority than other distribution methods
AC12.12: Direct binary downloads from GitHub releases
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Automated GitHub release creation with all platform binaries
- Structured asset naming: samoid-{version}-{target}.{archive}
- Release artifact retention and management
AC12.13: Installation script for quick setup (curl | sh pattern)
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Requirements: Platform detection and binary download script
- Security: Verification of downloaded artifacts
- Convenience: Single-command installation for users
AC12.14: Backwards compatibility policy documentation
Status: ❌ Not implemented
- Requirements: Document breaking change policy
- SemVer: Clarify what constitutes major/minor/patch versions
- Migration: Provide upgrade guides for breaking changes
AC12.15: Release workflow automation with GitHub Actions
Status: ✅ Completed in PR #28
- Comprehensive release.yml workflow implementation
- Multi-job pipeline: prepare, build, changelog, release, publish, post-release
- Manual workflow dispatch support for testing
Priority: High
Effort: 3 story points (reduced from 7 due to existing implementation)
Phase: Transition
Source
Industry best practices for CLI tool distribution and semantic versioning
Dependencies
- Depends on: CI/CD Pipeline with GitHub Actions #11 (CI/CD Pipeline) ✅
- Requires: All core functionality issues (Core Hook Installation System #1-Performance Optimization #8) ✅
- Relates to: Cross-Platform Compatibility #7 (Cross-Platform Compatibility) ✅, Performance Optimization #8 (Performance Optimization) ✅
The release management infrastructure is largely complete with automated workflows for building, testing, and publishing releases across multiple platforms. Focus has shifted to package manager integration and distribution convenience.