releasetag

A releasetag, in software version control, is a label assigned to a specific commit to mark a software release point. It serves as a fixed reference that can be cited by developers, users, and automated systems to reproduce builds, verify changes, or reference a particular version in release notes and dependencies.

In practice, a releasetag is created to capture the state of the codebase at the time of release. Tags can be lightweight, which are simple pointers to a commit, or annotated, which are stored as full objects that include the tagger’s name, date, and a message, and can be signed with a cryptographic key. Annotated tags are generally preferred for releases because they provide metadata and provenance.

Common workflows use conventional or semantic versioning for tag names, such as v1.2.3 or 1.2.3, sometimes with pre-release or build metadata like v1.2.3-rc.1 or v1.2.3+build.45. Git users typically create a tag with commands such as git tag -a v1.2.3 -m "Release version 1.2.3" and push it to a remote repository with git push origin v1.2.3 or git push --tags. Tags are immutable pointers to a commit, unlike branches, which move as new commits are added.

Tagging supports reproducible builds, aids dependency management, and simplifies release tracking and rollbacks. It is common for teams to automate tag creation in continuous integration pipelines after successful builds and artifact verification. Security considerations include signing tags and restricting who can create or modify tags in protected release workflows.