DEV Community

Cover image for 🚀 GitHub Releases: What, Why, and How?
Mahmud Rahman
Mahmud Rahman

Posted on

🚀 GitHub Releases: What, Why, and How?

#github #git #release #tutorial

If you're building a project and want people to download, use, or test it, then GitHub Releases is your best friend. It helps you publish official versions of your work — and it makes sharing, tracking, and updating versions easy.

Let’s break it down 👇

📦 What is a GitHub Release?

A GitHub Release is an official version of your project.

It’s like saying:

“Here’s version 1.0 of my app — ready to download and use!”

Each release is based on a tag (like v1.0.0) and can include:

  • A title and description of what’s new
  • Downloadable files (zip files, executables, etc.)
  • A changelog (what changed or was added)
  • A link you can share with users

❓ Why Use GitHub Releases?

Releases make your project:

  • ✅ Downloadable — share zips or binaries
  • 📅 Trackable — users know which version they’re using
  • 📝 Documented — you can write what’s new or fixed
  • 🛠️ Manageable — handle updates, rollbacks, and releases easily
  • 🚀 Professional — makes your repo look polished

🎯 Benefits of Using GitHub Releases

Benefit Description
🔗 Easy Downloads Users can download stable versions directly
🧠 Changelog History Track what changed in each version
📁 Share Files Add ZIPs, installers, executables, etc.
💻 Works with CI/CD Automate releases using GitHub Actions
🔐 Supports Signed Tags Secure and verifiable versions
💬 Pre-Releases Share test versions before going public

🛠️ First-Time GitHub Release: Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s say you’ve just finished your first version of your project and want to release it.

✅ Step 1: Push Your Code to GitHub

Make sure your project is already uploaded to GitHub.

git add .
git commit -m "Initial version"
git push origin main
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

✅ Step 2: Create a Release on GitHub

  1. Go to your repository:

    https://github.com/your-username/your-repo

  2. Click on “Releases” tab

  3. Click “Draft a new release”

  4. Fill out the form:

Field What to do
Tag version Type v1.0.0
Target Usually main or master
Release title Example: “🚀 First Release – v1.0.0”
Description Add a short changelog or feature list
Attach files (optional) Upload any files like .zip, .exe, .apk, etc.
  1. Click “Publish release”

🎉 Congrats — your first GitHub Release is live!

🧪 Example Release Description (Template) 

## 🚀 v1.0.0 – First Stable Release

🎉 This is the first official release of the project!

### ✅ Features
- Login and signup flow
- Real-time dashboard
- Mobile-friendly UI
- Dark mode support 🌙

### 🐞 Known Issues
- Slow load on mobile (fix planned in v1.0.1)

Thanks for trying it out! ❤️
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

💡 Version Naming: Use Semantic Versioning (SemVer)

Follow the format:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • v1.0.0 – First full release
  • v1.1.0 – Adds new features
  • v1.1.1 – Bug fix only

Examples:

  • v0.1.0 = prototype
  • v1.0.0 = first real version
  • v2.0.0 = big update, breaking changes

🤖 Bonus: Automate Releases with GitHub Actions (Advanced)

You can make releases automatically when you push a version tag.

Example GitHub Action

Create a file in your repo:

.github/workflows/release.yml

name: Auto Release

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Create GitHub Release
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          name: Version ${{ github.ref_name }}
          body: |
            🎉 Auto-generated release: ${{ github.ref_name }}
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Now whenever you push a tag (like v1.0.0), GitHub will:
✅ create a release

✅ add notes

✅ attach files (if configured)

📁 Where to Find Your Releases?

You and your users can always access releases at:

https://github.com/your-username/your-repo/releases
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Use /releases/latest to always get the newest version.

🧠 Summary: Your Release Checklist

✅ Project pushed to GitHub

✅ Tag created (v1.0.0)

✅ Release drafted with title + description

✅ Files attached (if needed)

✅ Release published

✅ Shared download link with users

📚 Helpful Links

Follow for more

Top comments (2)

Collapse
 
daniel_hiebeler_f1c450563 profile image
Daniel Hiebeler •

Great post! We actually made a small tool to visualize GitHub release downloads over time. Here’s the link, in case anyone finds that useful: github-release-stats.ghostbyte.dev

Collapse
 
mahmud-r-farhan profile image
Mahmud Rahman •

I just tried out the tool and I love it! Super clean and useful—great job!