Overview
semantic-release automates the release workflow: determine version bump from commit messages, generate changelog, create Git tag, publish to npm, create GitHub release.
Instructions
Step 1: Setup
bash
npm install -D semantic-release @semantic-release/changelog @semantic-release/git
Step 2: Configure
json
// .releaserc.json — Release configuration
{
"branches": ["main"],
"plugins": [
"@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
"@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
["@semantic-release/changelog", { "changelogFile": "CHANGELOG.md" }],
"@semantic-release/npm",
["@semantic-release/git", { "assets": ["CHANGELOG.md", "package.json"] }],
"@semantic-release/github"
]
}
Step 3: CI Integration
Add to your CI pipeline (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.) to run on every push to main. Requires GITHUB_TOKEN and NPM_TOKEN secrets.
Guidelines
- Requires conventional commits — feat = minor, fix = patch, BREAKING CHANGE = major.
- Use with commitlint + husky to enforce commit format.
- Works with monorepos using semantic-release-monorepo plugin.