Managing Python Releases

Python Release Management

Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 1.2.3)

PATCH: Bug fixes, no API changes
MINOR: New features, backward compatible
MAJOR: Breaking changes

Changelog Format (Keep a Changelog)

# Changelog

## [Unreleased]
### Added
- New `batch_encode()` function

## [1.2.0] - 2024-03-15
### Added
- Support for custom formats (#123)

### Fixed
- Edge case at -180 longitude (#145)

### Deprecated
- `old_function()` - use `new_function()` instead

[Unreleased]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.2.0...HEAD
[1.2.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/releases/tag/v1.2.0

Categories: Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security

Version in Code

# src/package/__init__.py
__version__ = "1.2.3"

# Or use importlib.metadata
from importlib.metadata import version
__version__ = version("my-package")

GitHub Actions Release

A tag-triggered workflow builds with uv and publishes to PyPI via trusted publishing (no stored token). The full canonical pipeline — TestPyPI dry run, GitHub release, and the release runbook — is in AUTOMATION.md.

# .github/workflows/release.yml
on:
  push:
    tags: ['v*']

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write      # create the GitHub release
      id-token: write      # trusted publishing (no token)
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v5
      - run: uv build
      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
        with:
          files: dist/*
      - uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1

Deprecation Process

Warn with stacklevel=2 so the message points at the caller. Deprecating parameters, classes, or whole modules — and the migration-guide template — is covered in MIGRATION.md.

import warnings

def old_function():
    """Deprecated: Use new_function() instead."""
    warnings.warn(
        "old_function() deprecated, will be removed in 2.0.0",
        DeprecationWarning,
        stacklevel=2,
    )
    return new_function()

Release Process

# 1. Update CHANGELOG.md (move Unreleased to version)
# 2. Bump version in pyproject.toml and __init__.py
# 3. Commit and tag
git commit -am "Release v1.2.0"
git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release v1.2.0"
git push origin main --tags
# 4. CI publishes automatically

For detailed workflows, see:

• AUTOMATION.md - Version bump scripts
• MIGRATION.md - Migration guide template

Checklist

Before Release:
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] CHANGELOG updated
- [ ] Version bumped
- [ ] Documentation current

After Release:
- [ ] PyPI shows new version
- [ ] pip install works
- [ ] GitHub release created
- [ ] Docs updated

Learn More

This skill is based on the Maintenance section of the Guide to Developing High-Quality Python Libraries by Will McGinnis. See these posts for deeper coverage:

• Semantic Versioning