Discussion: Standardise the release process

[matt-oakes]

We should have a standard process for releasing new versions of modules.

[matt-oakes]

Some of the new Lean Core modules are using the Semantic Release system which @Titozzz set up for the WebView module. This uses the commit message to decide what sort of change was made in that commit and, if needed, release a new version of the library automatically using an NPM job.

Advantages:

• A new version is released for every commit so master is always available on NPM and users do not need to wait for releases to get the latest feature/bug fix.
• The plugin automatically comments in related issues to let people know about the new release.
• Handles incrementing the version number correctly.
• Can be configured to automatically create the correct Github releases and maintain a useable changelog.
• As the publishing is done with a bot user, we can keep the number of people who have publish access on NPM to a minimum while allowing people to merge PRs on Github (less risk and better audit trail).

Disadvantages:

• Requires some set up.
• Requires that standard commit message styles are followed to work correctly.
• Assumes that master is always directly usable, which might not be the case for larger modules.