Releases

Git Repositories often only contain source code, or non-ready-to-use information. This means that the repository itself does not include the actual runnable programs that the repository is being used to make. Additionally, since not all commits will necessarily result in a functional program, it become paramount to have a system which denotes when a usable version of the code has been made, and the program which the code builds. This is called a release.

Releases in Forges will often be based on a specific commit in the Main branch, a specific point in time in which the program was ready for public use (or semi-public use in the case of "nightly" releases). Once those points of time are reached, all forms of the code are compiled out into their usable counterparts, and posted as a single release on the release page of the repository. Releases will also include a compressed version of the code being built from as one of the options to download on the release page.

Releases can sometimes be automated, and other times will make use of Issues, PRs, and Projects to prepare for in order to ensure it all goes over smoothly. Some repositories, especially repositories for developer tools, may not even have releases at all, as they are viewed as unnecessary.