semantic-versioning

name	semantic-versioning
description	Automate versioning and changelog generation using semantic versioning principles. Configure release automation, version bumping, and changelog tools. Use when implementing version management or automating release processes.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"devops-skills","version":"1.0"}

Semantic Versioning

Automate version management and changelog generation following SemVer principles.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Implementing version numbering standards
• Automating release versioning
• Generating changelogs automatically
• Setting up release pipelines
• Managing package versions

Prerequisites

• Git repository with commit history
• Node.js (for most tools)
• Conventional commits (recommended)

Semantic Versioning Basics

Version Format

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH[-PRERELEASE][+BUILD]

Examples:
1.0.0
2.1.3
1.0.0-alpha.1
1.0.0-beta.2+build.123

Version Components

Component	When to Increment
MAJOR	Breaking changes (incompatible API changes)
MINOR	New features (backward compatible)
PATCH	Bug fixes (backward compatible)
PRERELEASE	Pre-release versions (alpha, beta, rc)
BUILD	Build metadata (ignored in precedence)

Version Precedence

1.0.0-alpha < 1.0.0-alpha.1 < 1.0.0-alpha.beta
< 1.0.0-beta < 1.0.0-beta.2 < 1.0.0-beta.11
< 1.0.0-rc.1 < 1.0.0 < 2.0.0

Conventional Commits to Version

Commit Type → Version Bump:
  feat:     → MINOR
  fix:      → PATCH
  docs:     → PATCH (or no release)
  style:    → PATCH (or no release)
  refactor: → PATCH
  perf:     → PATCH
  test:     → No release
  chore:    → No release
  
  BREAKING CHANGE: → MAJOR
  feat!:   → MAJOR
  fix!:    → MAJOR

semantic-release

Installation

npm install --save-dev semantic-release \
  @semantic-release/changelog \
  @semantic-release/git

Configuration

// .releaserc.json
{
  "branches": ["main"],
  "plugins": [
    "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
    "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
    ["@semantic-release/changelog", {
      "changelogFile": "CHANGELOG.md"
    }],
    ["@semantic-release/npm", {
      "npmPublish": true
    }],
    ["@semantic-release/git", {
      "assets": ["CHANGELOG.md", "package.json", "package-lock.json"],
      "message": "chore(release): ${nextRelease.version} [skip ci]\n\n${nextRelease.notes}"
    }]
    
  

Advanced Configuration

// release.config.js
module.exports = {
  branches: [
    'main',
    { name: 'beta', prerelease: true },
    { name: 'alpha', prerelease: true }
  ],
  plugins: [
    ['@semantic-release/commit-analyzer', {
      preset: 'angular',
      releaseRules: [
        { type: 'docs', release: 'patch' },
        { type: 'refactor', release: 'patch' },
        { type: 'style', release: 'patch' },
        { type: 'perf', release: 'patch' },
        { breaking: true, release: 'major' }
      ]
    }],
    ['@semantic-release/release-notes-generator', {
      preset: 'angular',
      writerOpts: {
        commitsSort: ['subject', 'scope']
      }
    }],
    '@semantic-release/changelog',
    '@semantic-release/npm',
    '@semantic-release/git',
    '@semantic-release/github'
  ]
};

GitHub Actions Integration

# .github/workflows/release.yml
name: Release

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          persist-credentials: false

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'

      - run: npm ci

      - name: Release
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
        run: npx semantic-release

standard-version

Installation

npm install --save-dev standard-version

Configuration

// .versionrc.json
{
  "types": [
    { "type": "feat", "section": "Features" },
    { "type": "fix", "section": "Bug Fixes" },
    { "type": "docs", "section": "Documentation" },
    { "type": "style", "section": "Styling" },
    { "type": "refactor", "section": "Code Refactoring" },
    { "type": "perf"   
         
         
  
   
     
     
     
     
  
   
   

Usage

# First release
npx standard-version --first-release

# Regular release (auto-detect version bump)
npx standard-version

# Specific version bump
npx standard-version --release-as minor
npx standard-version --release-as 1.1.0

# Pre-release
npx standard-version --prerelease alpha
npx standard-version --prerelease beta

# Dry run
npx standard-version --dry-run

# Skip specific steps
npx standard-version --skip.changelog

NPM Scripts

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "release": "standard-version",
    "release:minor": "standard-version --release-as minor",
    "release:major": "standard-version --release-as major",
    "release:alpha": "standard-version --prerelease alpha",
    "release:beta": "standard-version --prerelease beta",
    "release:dry": "standard-version --dry-run"
  }
}

Changelog Generation

conventional-changelog

# Install
npm install -g conventional-changelog-cli

# Generate changelog
conventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s

# Generate all history
conventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s -r 0

git-cliff

# Install
cargo install git-cliff

# Generate changelog
git cliff -o CHANGELOG.md

# cliff.toml
[changelog]
header = "# Changelog\n\n"
body = """
{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
## {{ group | upper_first }}
{% for commit in commits %}
- {{ commit.message | upper_first }}\
{% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
"""
trim = true

[git]
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = true
commit_preprocessors = [
    { pattern = '\((\w+)\s#([0-9]+)\)', replace = "([#${2}](https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/${2}))" },
]
commit_parsers = [
    { message = "^feat", group = "Features" },
    { message = "^fix", group = "Bug Fixes" },
    { message = "^doc", group = "Documentation" },
    { message = "^perf", group = "Performance" },
    { message = "^refactor", group = "Refactoring" },
    { message = "^style", group = "Styling" },
    { message = "^test", group = "Testing" },
    { message = "^chore", group = "Miscellaneous" },
]
filter_commits = true
tag_pattern = "v[0-9]*"

Version Bumping Scripts

Bash Script

#!/bin/bash
# bump-version.sh

CURRENT_VERSION=$(cat package.json | jq -r '.version')
echo "Current version: $CURRENT_VERSION"

IFS='.' read -r MAJOR MINOR PATCH <<< "$CURRENT_VERSION"

case $1 in
  major)
    NEW_VERSION="$((MAJOR + 1)).0.0"
    ;;
  minor)
    NEW_VERSION="$MAJOR.$((MINOR + 1)).0"
    ;;
  patch)
    NEW_VERSION="$MAJOR.$MINOR.$((PATCH + 1))"
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $0 {major|minor|patch}"
    exit 1
    ;;
esac

echo "New version: $NEW_VERSION"

# Update package.json
npm version $NEW_VERSION --no-git-tag-version

# Create git tag
git add package.json package-lock.json
git commit -m "chore: bump version to $NEW_VERSION"
git tag -a "v$NEW_VERSION" -m "Version $NEW_VERSION"

Python Script

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# bump_version.py

import re
import sys
import subprocess

def get_current_version():
    with open('setup.py', 'r') as f:
        content = f.read()
        match = re.search(r"version=['\"]([^'\"]+)['\"]", content)
        return match.group(1) if match else None

def bump_version(current, bump_type):
    major, minor, patch = map(int, current.split('.'))
    
    if bump_type == 'major':
        return f'{major + 1}.0.0'
    elif bump_type == 'minor':
        return f'{major}.{minor + 1}.0'
    elif bump_type == 'patch':
        return f'{major}.{minor}.{patch + 1}'
    else:
        raise ValueError(f'Invalid bump type: {bump_type}')

def ():
     (, )  f:
        content = f.read()
    
    content = content.replace(, )
    
     (, )  f:
        f.write(content)

 __name__ == :
    bump_type = sys.argv[]  (sys.argv) >   
    current = get_current_version()
    new = bump_version(current, bump_type)
    
    ()
    update_version(current, new)
    
    subprocess.run([, , ])
    subprocess.run([, , , ])
    subprocess.run([, , , , , ])

Multi-Package Versioning

Lerna

// lerna.json
{
  "version": "independent",
  "npmClient": "npm",
  "command": {
    "version": {
      "conventionalCommits": true,
      "message": "chore(release): publish"
    },
    "publish": {
      "conventionalCommits": true
    }
  }
}

# Version all changed packages
npx lerna version

# Publish all changed packages
npx lerna publish

Changesets

# Initialize
npx @changesets/cli init

# Add changeset
npx changeset add

# Version packages
npx changeset version

# Publish
npx changeset publish

Common Issues

Issue: No Version Bump

Problem: semantic-release not creating release Solution: Check commit format, verify branch configuration

Issue: Wrong Version Calculated

Problem: Major/minor/patch incorrectly determined Solution: Review commit analyzer rules, check for missing prefixes

Issue: Duplicate Tags

Problem: Tag already exists Solution: Clean up tags, verify version wasn't already released

Best Practices

• Use conventional commits consistently
• Automate version bumping in CI
• Generate changelogs automatically
• Tag releases in Git
• Use pre-release versions for testing
• Document breaking changes clearly
• Include migration guides for major versions
• Lock dependencies with exact versions

Related Skills

• git-workflow - Branching strategies
• github-actions - CI automation
• feature-flags - Progressive rollout