From 0842eb7016d3ad58e4d8d63839bae1bce1890ac3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Tobias Klauser <tobias@cilium.io>
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 12:15:43 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] RELEASE.md: document release process

Document the release process for Cilium CLI. Instructions are based on
`RELEASE.md` in the Hubble repo.

Note that in addition to the the releases so far, we also update
`stable.txt` and publish the changelog in the release notes.

Signed-off-by: Tobias Klauser <tobias@cilium.io>
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 RELEASE.md | 104 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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+# RELEASE
+
+Release process and checklist for `cilium-cli`.
+
+## Prep the variables
+
+These variables will be used in the commands throughout the document to allow
+copy-pasting.
+
+### Release hash
+
+Identify which commit will serve as the release point.
+
+All releases currently stem from the master branch.
+
+    export RELEASE_HASH=<commit hash, i.e. 37c8023>
+
+### Version
+
+If releasing a new version 5.4.0 with the latest release being 5.3.8, for
+example, they will look as follows:
+
+    export MAJOR=5
+    export MINOR=4
+    export PATCH=0
+    export LAST_RELEASE=5.3.8
+
+## Create release prep branch
+
+This branch will be used to prepare all the necessary things to get ready for
+release.
+
+    git checkout -b v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH-prep
+
+## Prepare the release notes
+
+Using https://github.com/cilium/release, prepare the release notes between the
+last minor version (latest patch) and current.
+
+    ./release --repo cilium/cilium-cli --base v$LAST_RELEASE --head master
+    **Other Changes:**
+    * install: Add a hidden --base-version flag (#418, @michi-covalent)
+    * Makefile: introduce GO_BUILD variable (#432, @tklauser)
+    * Prepare for release v0.8.5 (#428, @michi-covalent)
+    * Run "Post-test information gathering" step on cancellation (#426, @michi-covalent)
+    * skip Succeeded pods (#431, @xyz-li)
+    ... etc ...
+
+## Update files for the new release
+
+Update the version in `VERSION` and `stable.txt`, then commit the changes to
+the prep branch:
+
+    echo v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH > VERSION
+    echo v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH > stable.txt
+    git add VERSION stable.txt
+    git commit -s -m "Prepare for release v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH"
+
+Consider that the Cilium repository uses the version specified in `stable.txt`
+in the master branch for its CI workflows. In certain cases (e.g. for breaking
+changes which require changes in the Cilium repo first), the version in
+`stable.txt` might need to be updated in a separate PR.
+
+## Update the `VERSION` file for next development cycle
+
+Usually this only consists of bumping the patch version and adding the `-dev`
+suffix, e.g.
+
+    NEXT_PATH=$((PATCH+1))
+    echo v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$NEXT_PATH-dev > VERSION
+
+Then commit the changes to the prep branch:
+
+    git add VERSION
+    git commit -s -m "Prepare for v$MAJOR.$MINOR.<$PATCH+1> development"
+
+## Push the prep branch and open a Pull Request
+
+The pull request has to be `v$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH-prep -> master`
+
+Once the pull request is approved and merged, a tag can be created.
+
+## Tag a release
+
+Identify the right commit and tag the release. Usually, the commit modifying
+the version in the VERSION file is tagged.
+
+Example:
+
+    git tag -a v0.8.5 -m 'v0.8.5' <commit-sha>
+
+Then push the tag.
+
+Example:
+
+    git push origin v0.8.5
+
+## Update the GitHub release notes
+
+When a tag is pushed, a GitHub Action job takes care of creating a new GitHub
+draft release, building artifacts and attaching them to the draft release.
+
+The release notes need to be manually added before manually publishing the
+release.