xrelease — Unified Release Automation for Any Project

xrelease provides a consistent, automated release process across all programming languages and frameworks. Create versioned releases with changelogs and Git tags using the same workflow everywhere, regardless of whether you're working with Python, Go, Scala, Node, Swift, or any other language.

About

xrelease solves the challenge of maintaining different release workflows for each language or framework. It offers a standardized approach that works universally across your projects.

• One consistent workflow for all projects
• Automated versioning, changelogs, and git tags
• Zero-config operation with full customization options

Features

• Language agnostic: Works with any language (Python, Go, Scala, Node, Swift, etc.)
• Automated essentials: Handles versioning, changelogs, git tags automatically
• Consistency: Same workflow everywhere - learn once, use everywhere
• Zero-config: Works out-of-the-box with sensible defaults
• Fully extensible: Customize with hooks and plugins when needed
• CI/CD integration: Seamlessly integrates with GitHub Actions and other CI systems

Quick Start

1. Install xrelease

npm install -g xrelease

2. Initialize in your project

xrelease init

3. Create a release

xrelease create

Your project now has an updated version, changelog, and git tag!

Common Commands

xrelease init          # Setup xrelease for your project
xrelease create        # Create a release - defaults to patch
xrelease create -M     # Major release
xrelease create -m     # Minor release
xrelease create -p     # Patch release

CLI Options

xrelease init

Sets up automated releases for your project.

-y, --yes              # Skip prompts and use defaults
-l, --language <type>  # Project language (node, go)

xrelease create

Creates a new release, using the .xrelease.yml config steps created in xrelease init

-M, --major           # Create major release
-m, --minor           # Create minor release
-p, --patch           # Create patch release
--bump <type>         # Specify version bump (major, minor, patch)
--branch <name>       # Branch to create release from
--config <path>       # Path to config file

xrelease add

Add specific components to your release config

workflow   # Add GitHub Actions workflow
changelog  # Add changelog configuration
hooks      # Add Git hooks configuration

Why xrelease?

| Problem | xrelease Solution | | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Different release processes for each language | One consistent workflow | | Manual version tracking and changelog updates | Fully automated releases | | Complex CI/CD setup for release management | One-command CI integration | | No standardization across project repos | Same release pattern everywhere |

Documentation

• Installation Options
• Configuration Guide
• CI/CD Integration

FAQ

Why does xrelease use package.json for all projects? xrelease uses package.json as the single source of truth for versioning in ALL projects, regardless of language. This provides one consistent way to handle versioning, proven and battle-tested version bumping mechanisms, compatibility with existing tools and CI systems, and minimal configuration (just version, marked as private). Learn more about why package.json.

How does xrelease compare to semantic-release? While semantic-release is a powerful tool that supports multiple languages through plugins, xrelease takes a "batteries included" approach that works out-of-the-box with minimal setup. semantic-release offers extensive customization but requires significant configuration through plugins for most use cases. In contrast, xrelease focuses on providing a simple, ready-to-use release workflow for any language with sensible defaults. If you need a highly customizable release pipeline and don't mind the configuration overhead, semantic-release is excellent. However, if you want to get automated releases working quickly across different projects and languages without wrestling with complex setup, xrelease provides a more straightforward path with its simplified, consistent approach.

Does xrelease work with my CI/CD system? Yes! xrelease is designed to integrate with GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Jenkins, and other CI systems. See our CI/CD Integration guide for details.

Can I customize the release process? Absolutely. While xrelease works without configuration, you can fully customize the release process through the .xrelease.yml configuration file. See our Configuration Guide.

I'm a Scala dev - why use a Node-based tool? Yes, it's built with Node.js, not "sleek, performant Scala with higher-order functions". But like sbt or mill, it's just a build tool - it won't touch your production code. Promise!... maybe

License

MIT

** Terms and conditions may apply, see ymmv