coolify/RELEASE.md

Coolify Release Guide

Branches

Branch	Purpose
main	Latest production source
next	Feature integration and RC releases
feature/*	New features based on and merged into next
hotfix/X.Y.Z	Production fixes based on main

Release workflows never edit or commit versions. Set the intended version in config/constants.php before running a release workflow.

Feature and RC flow

feature/* → next → RC

1. Merge feature branches into next.
2. Set the intended RC version on next, such as 4.4-rc.1.
3. Regular builds publish sha-<commit>, 4.4-rc.1.<short-sha>, and the moving next tag.
4. Create a reviewed draft GitHub Release named v4.4-rc.1 and mark it as a prerelease.
5. Run the RC workflow from next. It publishes 4.4-rc.1, updates next, and publishes the draft.
6. Advance next to the next intended RC version.

Stable release flow

next → main → stable release

1. Temporarily stop merging features into next.
2. Change the version on next from the approved RC to the stable version, such as 4.4.0.
3. Merge next into main.
4. Create a reviewed draft GitHub Release named v4.4.0.
5. Run the stable release workflow from main.
6. The workflow rebuilds the exact stable version, publishes 4.4.0 and latest, then publishes the draft.
7. Update the CDN only after the release is approved.
8. Advance next to the next development version.

Hotfix flow

main → hotfix/X.Y.Z → main → next

1. Create hotfix/X.Y.Z from main and set the intended patch version.
2. Implement and test the fix. SHA images report X.Y.Z-dev.<short-sha>.
3. Merge the hotfix into main.
4. Create a reviewed draft GitHub Release named vX.Y.Z.
5. Run the stable release workflow from main.
6. Merge main into next, resolve the version in favor of the next intended RC, and delete the hotfix branch.
7. Update the CDN only after the release is approved.

Image tags

Tag	Meaning
latest	Latest stable release
next	Latest successful next build
X.Y.Z	Exact stable release
X.Y-rc.N	Exact RC release
sha-<commit>	Exact commit build

Git tags use the v prefix, such as v4.4.0. Docker image tags do not.