This document describes the technical aspects of the Node.js release process. The intended audience is those who have been authorized by the Node.js Foundation Technical Steering Committee (TSC) to create, promote, and sign official release builds for Node.js, hosted on <https://nodejs.org/>.
**a.** **Test runs:****[node-test-pull-request](https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-pull-request/)** is used for a final full-test run to ensure that the current *HEAD* is stable.
**b.** **Nightly builds:** (optional) **[iojs+release](https://ci-release.nodejs.org/job/iojs+release/)** can be used to create a nightly release for the current *HEAD* if public test releases are required. Builds triggered with this job are published straight to <https://nodejs.org/download/nightly/> and are available for public download.
**c.** **Release builds:****[iojs+release](https://ci-release.nodejs.org/job/iojs+release/)** does all of the work to build all required release assets. Promotion of the release files is a manual step once they are ready (see below).
The _dist_ user on nodejs.org controls the assets available in <https://nodejs.org/download/>. <https://nodejs.org/dist/> is an alias for <https://nodejs.org/download/release/>.
The Jenkins release build slaves upload their artifacts to the web server as the _staging_ user. The _dist_ user has access to move these assets to public access while, for security, the _staging_ user does not.
Release builds require manual promotion by an individual with SSH access to the server as the _dist_ user. The [Node.js build team](https://github.com/nodejs/build) is able to provide this access to individuals authorized by the TSC.
A SHASUMS256.txt file is produced for every promoted build, nightly, and releases. Additionally for releases, this file is signed by the individual responsible for that release. In order to be able to verify downloaded binaries, the public should be able to check that the SHASUMS256.txt file has been signed by someone who has been authorized to create a release.
The GPG keys should be fetchable from a known third-party keyserver. The SKS Keyservers at <https://sks-keyservers.net> are recommended. Use the [submission](https://pgp.mit.edu/) form to submit a new GPG key. Keys should be fetchable via:
Create a new branch named _"vx.y.z-proposal"_, or something similar. Using `git cherry-pick`, bring the appropriate commits into your new branch. To determine the relevant commits, use [`branch-diff`](https://github.com/rvagg/branch-diff) and [`changelog-maker`](https://github.com/rvagg/changelog-maker/) (both are available on npm and should be installed globally). These tools depend on our commit metadata, as well as the `semver-minor` and `semver-major` GitHub labels. One drawback is that when the `PR-URL` metadata is accidentally omitted from a commit, the commit will show up because it's unsure if it's a duplicate or not.
Carefully review the list of commits looking for errors (incorrect `PR-URL`, incorrect semver, etc.). Commits labeled as semver minor or semver major should only be cherry-picked when appropriate for the type of release being made. Previous release commits and version bumps do not need to be cherry-picked.
Set the `NODE_VERSION_IS_RELEASE` macro value to `1`. This causes the build to be produced with a version string that does not have a trailing pre-release tag:
* Determining what API to work against for compiling native addons, e.g. [NAN](https://github.com/nodejs/nan) uses it to form a compatibility-layer for much of what it wraps.
* Determining the ABI for downloading pre-built binaries of native addons, e.g. [node-pre-gyp](https://github.com/mapbox/node-pre-gyp) uses this value as exposed via `process.versions.modules` to help determine the appropriate binary to download at install-time.
The general rule is to bump this version when there are _breaking ABI_ changes and also if there are non-trivial API changes. The rules are not yet strictly defined, so if in doubt, please confer with someone that will have a more informed perspective, such as a member of the NAN team.
*Note*: It is current TSC policy to bump major version when ABI changes. If you see a need to bump `NODE_MODULE_VERSION` then you should consult the TSC. Commits may need to be reverted or a major version bump may need to happen.
Note that changelog-maker counts commits since the last tag and if the last tag in the repository was not on the current branch you may have to supply a `--start-ref` argument:
Push the release branch to `nodejs/node`, not to your own fork. This allows release branches to more easily be passed between members of the release team if necessary.
Create a pull request targeting the correct release line. For example, a v5.3.0-proposal PR should target v5.x, not master. Paste the CHANGELOG modifications into the body of the PR so that collaborators can see what is changing. These PRs should be left open for at least 24 hours, and can be updated as new commits land.
Run a **[node-test-pull-request](https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-pull-request/)** test run to ensure that the build is stable and the HEAD commit is ready for release.
Perform some smoke-testing. We have [citgm](https://github.com/nodejs/citgm) for this. You can also manually test important modules from the ecosystem. Remember that node-gyp and npm both take a `--nodedir` flag to point to your local repository so that you can test unreleased versions without needing node-gyp to download headers for you.
If there is a reason to produce a test release for the purpose of having others try out installers or specifics of builds, produce a nightly build using **[iojs+release](https://ci-release.nodejs.org/job/iojs+release/)** and wait for it to drop in <https://nodejs.org/download/nightly/>. Follow the directions and enter a proper length commit SHA, enter a date string, and select "nightly" for "disttype".
Use **[iojs+release](https://ci-release.nodejs.org/job/iojs+release/)** to produce release artifacts. Enter the commit that you want to build from and select "release" for "disttype".
Artifacts from each slave are uploaded to Jenkins and are available if further testing is required. Use this opportunity particularly to test macOS and Windows installers if there are any concerns. Click through to the individual slaves for a run to find the artifacts.
All release slaves should achieve "SUCCESS" (and be green, not red). A release with failures should not be promoted as there are likely problems to be investigated.
If you have an error on Windows and need to start again, be aware that you'll get immediate failure unless you wait up to 2 minutes for the linker to stop from previous jobs. i.e. if a build fails after having started compiling, that slave will still have a linker process that's running for another couple of minutes which will prevent Jenkins from clearing the workspace to start a new one. This isn't a big deal, it's just a hassle because it'll result in another failed build if you start again!
ARMv7 takes the longest to compile. Unfortunately ccache isn't as effective on release builds, I think it's because of the additional macro settings that go in to a release build that nullify previous builds. Also most of the release build machines are separate to the test build machines so they don't get any benefit from ongoing compiles between releases. You can expect 1.5 hours for the ARMv7 builder to complete and you should normally wait for this to finish. It is possible to rush a release out if you want and add additional builds later but we normally provide ARMv7 from initial promotion.
You do not have to wait for the ARMv6 / Raspberry PI builds if they take longer than the others. It is only necessary to have the main Linux (x64 and x86), macOS .pkg and .tar.gz, Windows (x64 and x86) .msi and .exe, source, headers and docs (both produced currently by an macOS slave). **If you promote builds _before_ ARM builds have finished, you must repeat the promotion step for the ARM builds when they are ready**.
Jenkins collects the artifacts from the builds, allowing you to download and install the new build. Make sure that the build appears correct. Check the version numbers, and perform some basic checks to confirm that all is well with the build before moving forward.
### 10. Tag and Sign the Release Commit
Once you have produced builds that you're happy with, create a new tag. By waiting until this stage to create tags, you can discard a proposed release if something goes wrong or additional commits are required. Once you have created a tag and pushed it to GitHub, you ***should not*** delete and re-tag. If you make a mistake after tagging then you'll have to version-bump and start again and count that tag/version as lost.
Tag summaries have a predictable format, look at a recent tag to see, `git tag -v v6.0.0`. The message should look something like `2016-04-26 Node.js v6.0.0 (Current) Release`.
The tag **must** be signed using the GPG key that's listed for you on the project README.
Push the tag to the repo before you promote the builds. If you haven't pushed your tag first, then build promotion won't work properly. Push the tag using the following command:
Merge your release proposal branch into the stable branch that you are releasing from (e.g. `v8.x`), and rebase the corresponding staging branch (`v8.x-staging`) on top of that.
Cherry-pick the release commit to `master`. After cherry-picking, edit `src/node_version.h` to ensure the version macros contain whatever values were previously on `master`. `NODE_VERSION_IS_RELEASE` should be `0`.
**It is important that the same individual who signed the release tag be the one to promote the builds as the SHASUMS256.txt file needs to be signed with the same GPG key!**
Use `tools/release.sh` to promote and sign the build. When run, it will perform the following actions:
**a.** Select a GPG key from your private keys. It will use a command similar to: `gpg --list-secret-keys` to list your keys. If you don't have any keys, it will bail. (Why are you releasing? Your tag should be signed!) If you have only one key, it will use that. If you have more than one key it will ask you to select one from the list. Be sure to use the same key that you signed your git tag with.
**b.** Log in to the server via SSH and check for releases that can be promoted, along with the list of artifacts. It will use the `dist-promotable` command on the server to find these. You will be asked, for each promotable release, whether you want to proceed. If there is more than one release to promote (there shouldn't be), be sure to only promote the release you are responsible for.
**c.** Log in to the server via SSH and run the promote script for the given release. The command on the server will be similar to: `dist-promote vx.y.z`. After this step, the release artifacts will be available for download and a SHASUMS256.txt file will be present. The release will still be unsigned, however.
**e.** Sign the SHASUMS256.txt file using a command similar to: `gpg --default-key YOURKEY --clearsign /path/to/SHASUMS256.txt`. You will be prompted by GPG for your password. The signed file will be named SHASUMS256.txt.asc.
**f.** Output an ASCII armored version of your public GPG key using a command similar to: `gpg --default-key YOURKEY --armor --export --output /path/to/SHASUMS256.txt.gpg`. This does not require your password and is mainly a convenience for users, although not the recommended way to get a copy of your key.
If you didn't wait for ARM builds in the previous step before promoting the release, you should re-run `tools/release.sh` after the ARM builds have finished. That will move the ARM artifacts into the correct location. You will be prompted to re-sign SHASUMS256.txt.
Your release should be available at `https://nodejs.org/dist/vx.y.z/` and <https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/>. Check that the appropriate files are in place. You may want to check that the binaries are working as appropriate and have the right internal version strings. Check that the API docs are available at <https://nodejs.org/api/>. Check that the release catalog files are correct at <https://nodejs.org/dist/index.tab> and <https://nodejs.org/dist/index.json>.
There is an automatic build that is kicked off when you promote new builds, so within a few minutes nodejs.org will be listing your new version as the latest release. However, the blog post is not yet fully automatic.
Create a new blog post by running the [nodejs.org release-post.js script](https://github.com/nodejs/nodejs.org/blob/master/scripts/release-post.js). This script will use the promoted builds and changelog to generate the post. Run `npm run serve` to preview the post locally before pushing to the [nodejs.org](https://github.com/nodejs/nodejs.org) repo.
* You can add a short blurb just under the main heading if you want to say something important, otherwise the text should be publication ready.
* The links to the download files won't be complete unless you waited for the ARMv6 builds. Any downloads that are missing will have `*Coming soon*` next to them. It's your responsibility to manually update these later when you have the outstanding builds.
* The SHASUMS256.txt.asc content is at the bottom of the post. When you update the list of tarballs you'll need to copy/paste the new contents of this file to reflect those changes.
* Always use pull-requests on the nodejs.org repo. Be respectful of that working group, but you shouldn't have to wait for PR sign-off. Opening a PR and merging it immediately _should_ be fine. However, please follow the following commit message format:
The nodejs.org website will automatically rebuild and include the new version. To announce the build on Twitter through the official @nodejs account, email [pr@nodejs.org](mailto:pr@nodejs.org) with a message such as:
To ensure communication goes out with the timing of the blog post, please allow 24 hour prior notice. If known, please include the date and time the release will be shared with the community in the email to coordinate these announcements.
