ReleaseManifesten

ReleaseManifesten is a standardized, machine-readable document used to describe the contents and provenance of a software release. It serves as a canonical source of truth for what was built, packaged, and published, enabling reproducible deployments, verifiable downloads, and traceability across environments. The standard is intended for use by developers, distributors, and consumers alike, supporting automated validation, auditing, and lifecycle management of releases.

The manifest provides a structured overview of a release, typically including fields such as manifestVersion, releaseName, product, version, releaseDate, and channels (for example stable or beta). It also defines platformTargets to indicate supported operating systems or environments. A components list enumerates each file or asset in the release, with details such as path, size, cryptographic hash, and type (binary, library, asset). Optional sections may describe dependencies on other releases, licensing information, and provenance data. To ensure authenticity, manifests may include digital signatures or certificates, allowing consumers to verify integrity and origin.

Formats and tooling commonly support ReleaseManifesten in JSON, YAML, or XML, with schemas that define required versus optional fields. Validation tools check structure, hash integrity, and signature validity. Build systems and CI/CD pipelines generate manifests at release time, while artifact repositories and content delivery networks consume them to drive verification, incremental updates, and rollback procedures.

Governance and lifecycle practices cover versioning rules, deprecation timelines, and compatibility guarantees between releases. Adoption varies by ecosystem, but the standard generally aims to improve automation, security, and traceability in software distribution, while also imposing considerations for maintenance and schema evolution.