ReleaseTags

ReleaseTags are labels assigned to a specific commit in a version control system to mark a software release. They provide a permanent, immutable pointer to the exact state of the codebase that constituted a release and may carry metadata such as a version number, release date, or target platform.

The primary purpose of ReleaseTags is reproducibility and provenance. Tags enable developers and users to reference a known-good state, support auditing and rollback, and serve as a stable reference for distributing artifacts. They are commonly used by release pipelines to publish builds and by package repositories to associate artifacts with a defined version.

Formats and conventions vary, but two common tag types exist: lightweight tags, which are simple references, and annotated tags, which include metadata such as a message, tagger, and date and are often signed for authenticity. Typical tagging schemes use semantic versioning (for example v1.2.3) or calendar versioning (for example 2024.11.28). Pre-release and build metadata may appear as suffixes or metadata (for example -rc.1 or +build.123) in line with chosen versioning standards.

Lifecycle and management involve creating the tag at release time, associating it with a specific commit, and distributing it to remote repositories. Tags are usually immutable, though some teams rotate references for hotfixes or security releases. They are commonly used alongside release notes and automated workflows to trigger builds and deployments.

Best practices include using signed annotated tags, keeping a clear tagging policy, avoiding tag drift by tagging only committed releases, and recording release notes alongside tags. See also: semantic versioning, Git tags, release management.