NPM publish command with specific tag extracted from the last commit messages
Install this package as a dev dependency
npm install --save-dev publish-tag
Then when using semantic-release instead of just
commits and publishing, add to the commit body text TAG: <tag> text. The <tag> could be any word: 'alpha',
'next', 'future'.
The instead of the standard semantic release command
"semantic-release": "semantic-release pre && npm publish && semantic-release post"
use publish-tag command instead of npm publish
"semantic-release": "semantic-release pre && publish-tag && semantic-release post"
This script will examine commit log, and will run npm publish --tag <tag> if it finds
TAG: <tag> text. Or if the tag is not found it will run the plain npm publish command.
Once your package has been published with --tag something
- regular users can still install the previous version using
npm i <package name> - alpha users can install the tagged version using
npm i <package name>@something
You can publish more versions under the same tag. When you are ready to switch, use this command to mark
npm dist-tag add <package>@<good version> latest
For explanation and inspiration for this tool, see One simple trick
If your CI has problems executing the publish-tag script directly due to --harmony argument,
you can use explicit command
"semantic-release": "semantic-release pre && node --harmony bin/publish-tag.js && semantic-release post"
Semantic release works best when your commit messages are simple to parse. I recommend using conventional commit convention implemented in tools like pre-git and commitizen. Here are examples of git commit messages that are simple to parse
feat(cli): added cli script
fix(doc): fixed typos in the README
The easiest way to enforce this format is to install pre-git@3.x.x
and use npm run commit script that guides your through the message parts. It will ask you at the
end what tag this version should be released (if semantic release determines that it should be released).
Here is an example wizard terminal output
? Select the type of change that you're committing: fix: A bug fix
? Denote the scope of this change (db, api, cli, etc.): docs
? Write a short, imperative tense description of the change:
Described commitizen and conventional commit message format
? Provide a longer description of the change:
? List issues this commit resolves (fixes #2, closes #14):
? Is this a major breaking change: No
? Should this be published under different tag?
This will let users still install the current latest,
but eary adapters can `npm install <name>@<tag>`
(latest): example
Once you answer the last question, the full commit message is formed and the code is committed,
making it simple for publish-tag to parse. For example the above answers will make the following message
fix(docs): Described commitizen and conventional commit message format
TAG: example
The semantic release will publish it under the distribution tag "example".
Author: Gleb Bahmutov © 2015
License: MIT - do anything with the code, but don't blame me if it does not work.
Spread the word: tweet, star on github, etc.
Support: if you find any problems with this module, email / tweet / open issue on Github
Copyright (c) 2015 Gleb Bahmutov
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.