Releasing new versions of your software can be a tedious and error-prone process, especially if you're doing it manually. When the project grows up, it can be a real pain. However, with the help of and a script, you can automate your release flow and save time and effort, making this process much simpler. standard-version Bash What is Standard-Version? is a tool that helps you automate the management of version numbers and changelogs in your software projects. It uses the specification to determine the type of changes made in each commit (e.g. "feat", "fix", "docs", etc.), and based on that, it updates the version number and generates a changelog. By automating these tasks, can help you maintain a consistent versioning scheme and keep track of changes more easily. It also simplifies the process of creating and publishing releases, as it takes care of all the necessary changes and updates. standard-version conventional-commits standard-version Now, before we get started, I want to make it clear that this is just one solution, and there are plenty of other ways to integrate or other tools (like ), into your workflow. But hey, if you're anything like me and you like to keep things simple, then this might just be the solution you've been looking for. standard-version semantic-release So, assuming that you're already using and have a previous release tag, let's dive into how to automate your release flow with a Bash script and . conventional-commits standard-version Prerequisites Ensure that you're using : relies on the specification to determine the type of changes made in each commit (e.g. "feat", "fix", "docs", etc.). If you're not already using you'll need to start using it in your project. conventional-commits standard-version conventional-commits conventional-commits Ensure that you have a previous release tag: requires a previous release tag to determine the version number of the next release. If you don't have a previous release tag, you'll need to create one manually. standard-version Have a basic understanding of Bash scripting: You'll need to have a basic understanding of Bash scripting to modify the Bash script that we'll provide in this guide. Step-by-Step Guide Install standard-version: npm i --save-dev standard-version or yarn add --dev standard-version Create a Bash script called in the root directory of your project. Paste the following code into the script: release.sh #!/bin/bash target_branch=$1 current_branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) dev_branch=development if [ -z $target_branch ]; then echo "A target_branch parameter is required: the branch where the release will be performed (version, CHANGELOG, & git TAG)" exit 1 else echo "The release is configured to execute on the branch: ${target_branch}" fi if [[ -z $(git log origin/$(git branch --show-current)..HEAD) ]]; then echo "No commits to push to origin/${current_branch}, aborting release." exit 0 else echo "Commits to push to origin/${current_branch} detected." fi if [ $current_branch = $target_branch ]; then echo "The release will be executed on the branch: ${current_branch}" # Run standard-version with a custom commit message to avoid the default [skip ci] message that skips the GitLab workflow npx standard-version --commit-all --releaseCommitMessageFormat 'chore(release): {{currentTag}}\n\n{{changelog}}' echo "Pushing changes to origin ${current_branch}" git push --follow-tags origin $current_branch # Switch to the development branch git checkout $dev_branch # Get the hash of the latest commit on the release branch last_commit=$(git rev-parse $target_branch) # Apply the latest commit from the release branch to the development branch, updating the version number and changelog git cherry-pick -Xtheirs $last_commit exit 0; else echo "Skipping release on branch: ${current_branch}"; echo "Pushing changes to origin/${current_branch}" git push exit 0; fi Save the script and make it executable using the following command: sudo chmod +x release.sh Now, you can execute the script by providing the target branch as a parameter: ./release.sh production The target branch is the branch where the release process will be executed. In this example, we're interested to perform releases only in the branch. So, if this command is executed on any other branch, the script will skip the release and acts as a conventional . production push To make this even easier, you can add the following script to your package.json file: { "scripts": { "release": "./release.sh production" } } With this, you already have the release script configured to execute on the branch. You should replace the target branch with the name of your own release branch. Then can execute the script using the following command: production npm run release or yarn run release Note that the Bash script performs a to move the commit that updates the version number and changelog from the release branch to the branch. This ensures that the next development cycle always contains the latest changes, including the version number and changelog. You can also change the name of the development branch in the script if you want. cherry-pick development Conclusion Automating your release flow using and a Bash script can save you a lot of time and effort. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you'll be able to automate your release process and make it more efficient and reliable. standard-version It's important to keep in mind the prerequisites. Remember to commit well, to always test your releases thoroughly before publishing them, and to follow best practices for versioning and changelog management. In summary, by using a that integrates with you can automate your release process and make it more efficient. This guide has provided a step-by-step approach to help you get started with automating your release flow. However, it's worth exploring other solutions and finding what works best for your specific needs. Bash script standard-version The lead image for this article was generated by HackerNoon's AI Image Generator via the prompt "laptop screen displaying arbitrary code"
