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Release Engineering Infrastructure

Overview

Complete release engineering infrastructure for AudioLab, enabling predictable, automated, and safe releases.

Philosophy: Code has zero value until it's in users' hands. Release engineering is the bridge from development to production.

Directory Structure

03_13_release_engineering/
├── 03_13_00_versioning_strategy/     # Semantic versioning rules & automation
├── 03_13_01_changelog_generation/    # Automated changelog from commits
├── 03_13_02_build_packaging/         # Multi-platform packaging configs
├── 03_13_03_distribution_channels/   # Where & how to distribute
├── 03_13_04_rollback_procedures/     # Emergency rollback (<1hr)
└── 03_13_05_release_validation/      # Comprehensive release checklist

Quick Start

1. Preparing a Release

# Step 1: Bump version
cd 03_13_00_versioning_strategy
.\version_bump.ps1 minor  # or major/patch

# Step 2: Update changelog
# Commits automatically generate changelog via conventional commits

# Step 3: Run validation checklist
cd ../03_13_05_release_validation
# Follow release_checklist.md

# Step 4: Build and package
cd ../03_13_02_build_packaging
# Follow platform-specific build procedures

# Step 5: Distribute
cd ../03_13_03_distribution_channels
# Deploy to CDN, update servers, marketplaces

2. Emergency Rollback

cd 03_13_04_rollback_procedures
# Follow rollback_checklist.md
# Target: < 1 hour to complete

Architecture Decision: Semantic Versioning + Automated Pipeline

Rationale

SemVer: - MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH has clear meaning - Users understand compatibility instantly - Tools can enforce dependency constraints

Conventional Commits: - Changelogs auto-generated - Version bumps automated - Git history becomes documentation

Multi-Channel Distribution: - dev → beta → stable progression - Users choose stability vs. features - Rollback without affecting all users

Validation Gates: - Quality checks before release - Prevent bad releases (cheaper than rollback) - Documented criteria (reproducible decisions)

Rollback-Ready: - Can revert in < 1 hour - Multiple distribution channels - Automated notification system

Release Cycle

Standard Release (Minor/Major)

Week 1-3: Development
  - Features developed on feature branches
  - Conventional commits throughout
  - Automated tests run on every commit

Week 4: Stabilization
  - Code freeze
  - Bug fixing only
  - Beta release to testers

Week 4 + 2 days: Release Candidate
  - RC1 to wider audience
  - Final testing (release_checklist.md)

Week 4 + 4 days: Release
  - Final validation
  - Build and sign packages
  - Deploy to all channels
  - Monitor for 24h

Hotfix Release (Patch)

T+0h:  Critical bug discovered
T+1h:  Fix developed and tested (minimal changes only)
T+2h:  Build and sign
T+3h:  Deploy (skip beta, go straight to stable)
T+24h: Verify no new issues

Key Files

Versioning

  • 03_13_00_versioning_strategy/semantic_versioning.md - SemVer guide
  • 03_13_00_versioning_strategy/version_bump.ps1 - Automation script
  • 03_13_00_versioning_strategy/compatibility_matrix.md - Version compatibility

Changelog

  • 03_13_01_changelog_generation/conventional_commits.md - Commit format
  • 03_13_01_changelog_generation/changelog_config.yml - Generator config

Packaging

  • 03_13_02_build_packaging/package_contents.md - What's in releases
  • 03_13_02_build_packaging/installer_configs/ - Platform installers

Distribution

  • 03_13_03_distribution_channels/update_server_config.json - Auto-update
  • 03_13_03_distribution_channels/cdn_setup.md - CDN deployment

Safety

  • 03_13_04_rollback_procedures/rollback_checklist.md - Emergency procedures
  • 03_13_05_release_validation/release_checklist.md - Pre-release validation

Dependencies

This infrastructure depends on:

  • 03_01_version_control - Git tagging strategy
  • 03_06_ci_cd_automation - Automated build pipelines
  • 03_12_collaboration_tools - Release coordination

Tools Used

  • Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 - Version numbering
  • Conventional Commits - Structured commit messages
  • git-cliff or conventional-changelog - Changelog generation
  • CMake - Cross-platform builds
  • InnoSetup (Windows) - Windows installers
  • pkgbuild (macOS) - macOS packages
  • tar (Linux) - Linux archives
  • CloudFlare CDN - Global distribution
  • GitHub Releases - Open-source distribution

Success Criteria

Release engineering infrastructure is successful when:

  • Predictability: Release process documented and repeatable
  • Automation: Manual steps minimized (<20% manual)
  • Traceability: Every release traceable to Git tag
  • Quality: Validation gates prevent bad releases
  • Speed: Hotfix can be released in <4 hours
  • Safety: Rollback possible in <1 hour

Best Practices

Versioning

  1. Always use SemVer - No marketing-driven version numbers
  2. Never skip versions - Sequential only
  3. Tag every release - git tag -a v2.1.3 -m "Release 2.1.3"

Changelogs

  1. Write for users - Explain impact, not code changes
  2. Categorize clearly - Added/Fixed/Changed/Deprecated/Removed
  3. Link to issues - Every entry should reference issue/PR

Releases

  1. Code freeze before release - 24-48h stabilization
  2. Test on clean systems - Not just dev machines
  3. Sign everything - Code signing is non-negotiable
  4. Verify checksums - Corruption detection

Rollbacks

  1. Don't hesitate - User safety > ego
  2. Communicate fast - Notify within 1 hour
  3. Document lessons - Every rollback is a learning opportunity

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Feature Release

# 1. Develop feature on branch
git checkout -b feature/new-reverb
# ... commits ...
git commit -m "feat(reverb): add shimmer reverb algorithm"

# 2. Merge to develop
git checkout develop
git merge feature/new-reverb

# 3. When ready for release
git checkout main
.\03_13_00_versioning_strategy\version_bump.ps1 minor

# 4. Validate (see release_checklist.md)

# 5. Tag and push
git tag -a v2.2.0 -m "Release 2.2.0"
git push origin v2.2.0

# 6. Build and distribute

Workflow 2: Hotfix

# 1. Branch from last release tag
git checkout -b hotfix/2.1.4 v2.1.3

# 2. Fix bug
git commit -m "fix(buffer): prevent overflow in circular buffer"

# 3. Version bump
.\03_13_00_versioning_strategy\version_bump.ps1 patch

# 4. Quick validation (subset of full checklist)

# 5. Tag and deploy
git tag -a v2.1.4 -m "Hotfix 2.1.4"
git push origin v2.1.4

# 6. Merge back to main and develop

Workflow 3: Rollback

# 1. Identify bad version: v2.1.3
# 2. Follow rollback_checklist.md

# Quick steps:
ssh updates.audiolab.com
mv /releases/v2.1.3 /quarantine/
ln -sf /releases/v2.1.2 /releases/latest

# 3. Notify users

# 4. Prepare hotfix

Metrics & KPIs

Track release engineering effectiveness:

Metric Target Current
Time to Release <4 weeks -
Hotfix Time <4 hours -
Rollback Time <1 hour -
Post-Release Bugs <3 per release -
Rollback Rate <5% of releases -
User Adoption (7d) >50% -

Future Enhancements

  • Automated release candidate builds from develop branch
  • A/B testing for UI changes
  • Gradual rollout (1% → 10% → 100%)
  • Automated rollback triggers (crash rate >1%)
  • Release notes in-app notification
  • Telemetry-driven hotfix prioritization

References

Support

Questions about release engineering: - Documentation: This directory - Issues: https://github.com/audiolab/audiolab/issues - Internal: #release-engineering Slack channel

Remember: A great product delivered poorly is a poor product. Release engineering is not overhead—it's the difference between code and value.