releasemodifier

Releasemodifier is a label attached to a software release to indicate a variant that modifies deployment, availability, or behavior without necessarily changing the core version. It can appear as a suffix in the version string, as a field in a release manifest, or as a tag in artifact repositories. The modifier signals how the release should be treated by build, test, distribution, and deployment systems.

Purpose and scope

The primary purpose of a releasemodifier is to encode variant-specific metadata that affects routing, configuration, and eligibility for users or environments. Modifiers can designate release channels (for example, beta, RC, or stable), target groups (enterprise vs community), regional constraints, or feature configurations. They are typically used alongside the base version to support multiple release variants from the same codebase.

Forms and integration

Common forms include pre-release identifiers (alpha, beta, rc) and build metadata or suffixes such as -beta, -rc.1, -enterprise, or +eu to indicate regional targeting. In some systems, modifiers are stored as separate fields in a release manifest or as tags in artifact repositories, allowing automation to apply routing rules, feature flags, or environment-specific settings during deployment.

Implications

Releasemodifiers enable parallel release streams and more granular control over updates, but they require clear documentation and robust parsing in CI/CD pipelines. Inconsistent modifiers can lead to ambiguity about eligibility, compatibility, or feature availability, so governance around allowed modifiers and their meanings is important.

See also

Semantic Versioning, pre-release and build metadata, release channels, feature flags, release management.