atlantis/RELEASE_CADENCE.md

Release Cadence

Overview

Atlantis follows a monthly release cadence to provide regular, predictable updates while maintaining stability for users.

Release Schedule

• Frequency: Once per month
• Timing: First week OR last week of every month (but only once per month)
• Release Day: Typically Tuesday or Wednesday to allow for weekend buffer

Versioning

Atlantis follows Semantic Versioning (SemVer):

• Major releases (x.0.0): Breaking changes
• Minor releases (0.x.0): New features, backward compatible
• Patch releases (0.0.x): Bug fixes and security patches

Release Branches

• Main branch: Contains the latest development work
• Release branches: Created for major/minor releases (e.g., release-0.20)
• Hotfixes: Applied to both main and relevant release branches

Communication

• Release Announcements: Posted on GitHub Releases and community channels
• Breaking Changes: Clearly documented in release notes and migration guides
• Security Updates: Immediately communicated through security advisories

Release Criteria

A release is ready when:

1. ✅ All tests pass
2. ✅ Documentation is updated
3. ✅ Release notes are current
4. ✅ No known critical bugs
5. ✅ Security scan passes
6. ✅ Performance benchmarks are acceptable

Emergency Releases

In case of critical security vulnerabilities or severe bugs:

1. Immediate Assessment: Evaluate severity and impact
2. Hotfix Development: Create targeted fix
3. Expedited Testing: Focused testing on the fix
4. Emergency Release: Release outside normal cadence if necessary

Contributing to Releases

• Feature Requests: Submit early in the month for consideration
• Bug Reports: Report immediately for faster resolution
• Testing: Help test release candidates
• Documentation: Contribute to release notes and migration guides

For detailed information about contributing to Atlantis, see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Release History

For detailed information about past releases, see:

• GitHub Releases

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This document is maintained by the Atlantis maintainers. For questions about the release process, please open an issue or contact the maintainers.