v18.0.0.0-rc1 Release Process

[PastaPastaPasta]

v18.0.0.0-rc1 Release Process

Note: see #4211 for planned date of release

• Merge feat: implement quorum rotation and updated LLMQ parameters #4752
• Update translations, see translation_process.md.
• Update manpages, see gen-manpages.sh.

Before every minor and major release:

• Update version in configure.ac (chore: bump version in configure.ac to v18.0.0.0-rc1 #4768)
• Write & release product update outlining major changes
• Write release notes for v18 #4837

Tag the Release

• Tag v18.0.0.0-rc1 and push

Check CI

• Validate that CI passes

Do Gitian Build (for unsigned binaries) and create PRs

• Pasta Gitian Build
• Udjin Gitian Build
• Thephez Gitian Build
• Kittywhiskers Gitian Build
• Ody Gitian Build

Create Windows/OS X detached signatures (note: it might be decided skip signed binaries for RCs)
Only once the Windows/OS X builds each have 3 (2 for RC) matching signatures may they be signed with their respective release keys.

• Pasta creates windows detached signature and commits
• (Unasigned) creates OS X detached signature

Update Gitian Builds with signed binaries (note: it might be decided skip signed binaries for RCs)

• Pasta Gitian Build
• Udjin Gitian Build
• Thephez Gitian Build
• Kittywhiskers Gitian Build
• Ody Gitian Build

After 3 (2 for RC) or more people have gitian-built and their results match:

• Create SHA256SUMS.asc for the builds
• GPG sign each download / binary
• Upload zips and installers, as well as SHA256SUMS.asc from last step, to github as github draft release.
• Validate SHA256SUMS.asc and all binaries attached to github draft release are correct
• Notarize OS X binaries (may be skipped for RCs)
• Release on github as test release

Announce the release:

• Release on Dash forum: https://www.dash.org/forum/topic/official-announcements.54/
• Optionally Discord, twitter, reddit /r/Dashpay, ... but this will usually sort out itself
• Celebrate

[PastaPastaPasta]

Tagged RC1, but build failed, so we pushed a few PRs (primarily #4770). We are confirming gitian is happy on this commit (be44aa4), then if gitian is happy we will retag v18.0.0.0-rc1 to this commit

[PastaPastaPasta]

rc1 has been retagged https://github.com/dashpay/dash/releases/tag/v18.0.0.0-rc1 Hopefully this is final