A release is a specific working version of a software’s code. For example, a release can be given a unique number (like 1.2.1), a date, a name or a combination of all of these. A release helps you to get an overview of your code and its progress. This allows you to set milestones or define a specific version that you can use in a journal publication, for example.

When a release is created, a release package is also always created. This contains everything users need to install and use the software or utilise the code.

For a release, it is at least necessary to:

• check the code for correctness and, above all, functionality,
• update the documentation and metadata so that it can be cited correctly,
• document important changes in a so-called change log (document with a history of changes, improvements and bug fixes with each release),
• create or publish the release and thus a release package with a suitable label (for instance release number),
• publish or archive the release package separately if necessary.