releasespecific

Release-specific refers to artifacts and configurations that are explicitly tied to a particular release of a product. The concept is used to ensure that components, data migrations, and deployment scripts align with the features and constraints present in that release, reducing the risk of incompatibilities from mixing components from different releases.

In build and deployment pipelines, release-specific tagging and packaging are common. Artifacts such as binaries, containers, and configuration files may include a release identifier (for example, a semantic version like 2.5.1, or a release train name). This allows release-locked deployments, reproducible builds, and straightforward rollbacks by isolating assets to a single release lineage. Release-specific configurations may also be maintained as separate files or directories that apply only when deploying that release.

Examples include database migration scripts that are versioned per release, feature flags that are activated only for a given release, and environment-specific settings that map to the release's supported environments. The approach complements general version control and semantic versioning by emphasizing release boundaries rather than component-level versions alone.

Challenges include maintaining synchronization across releases, increasing storage and maintenance overhead, and the potential for drift if release metadata is not consistently updated. When used with care, release-specific artifacts improve deployment predictability, traceability, and rollback capability.