Release Process

Understand Apache Superset's release process, versioning strategy, and how to participate.

Release Cadence

Schedule

• Major releases (X.0.0): Annually (approximately)
• Minor releases (X.Y.0): Quarterly
• Patch releases (X.Y.Z): As needed for critical fixes

Version Numbering

Superset follows Semantic Versioning:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
  ↓      ↓     ↓
  │      │     └── Bug fixes, security patches
  │      └────── New features, backwards compatible
  └──────────── Breaking changes

Examples

• 3.0.0: Major release with breaking changes
• 3.1.0: Minor release with new features
• 3.1.1: Patch release with bug fixes

Release Types

Major Releases (X.0.0)

Includes

• Breaking API changes
• Deprecated feature removals
• Major architectural changes
• Database migration requirements

Process

• 2-3 month preparation period
• Multiple release candidates (RC)
• Extensive testing period
• Migration guides required

Minor Releases (X.Y.0)

Includes

• New features
• Performance improvements
• Non-breaking API additions
• Minor UI/UX updates

Process

• 1 month preparation
• 1-2 release candidates
• Standard testing period

Patch Releases (X.Y.Z)

Includes

• Bug fixes
• Security patches
• Documentation fixes
• Dependency updates (security)

Process

• Fast track for critical issues
• May skip RC for urgent security fixes
• Minimal testing requirements

Release Process (For Release Managers)

1. Pre-Release Preparation

Feature Freeze

# Create release branch
git checkout -b release-X.Y
git push upstream release-X.Y

# Update version
# Edit setup.py and package.json
VERSION = "X.Y.0rc1"

Update Documentation

• CHANGELOG.md
• UPDATING.md (for breaking changes)
• Documentation version

Release Notes Template

# Apache Superset X.Y.0

## 🎉 Highlights
- Major feature 1
- Major feature 2

## 🚀 New Features
- Feature 1 (#PR)
- Feature 2 (#PR)

## 🐛 Bug Fixes
- Fix 1 (#PR)
- Fix 2 (#PR)

## ⚠️ Breaking Changes
- Breaking change 1
- Migration required for X

## 📝 Documentation
- Doc update 1 (#PR)

## 🙏 Thank You
Thanks to all contributors!

2. Create Release Candidate

Build RC

# Tag release candidate
git tag -a vX.Y.Zrc1 -m "Apache Superset X.Y.Z RC1"
git push upstream vX.Y.Zrc1

# Build source distribution
python setup.py sdist

# Build wheel
python setup.py bdist_wheel

# Sign artifacts
gpg --armor --detach-sig dist/apache-superset-X.Y.Zrc1.tar.gz

Upload to staging

# Upload to Apache staging
svn co https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/superset
cd superset
mkdir X.Y.Zrc1
cp /path/to/dist/* X.Y.Zrc1/
svn add X.Y.Zrc1
svn commit -m "Add Apache Superset X.Y.Z RC1"

3. Voting Process

Call for Vote Email

Send to dev@superset.apache.org:

Subject: [VOTE] Release Apache Superset X.Y.Z RC1

Hi all,

I'd like to call a vote to release Apache Superset version X.Y.Z RC1.

The release candidate:
- Git tag: vX.Y.Zrc1
- Git hash: abc123def456
- Source: https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/superset/X.Y.Zrc1/

Resources:
- Release notes: [link]
- CHANGELOG: [link]
- PR list: [link]

The vote will be open for at least 72 hours.

[ ] +1 approve
[ ] +0 no opinion
[ ] -1 disapprove (and reason why)

Thanks,
[Your name]

Voting Rules

• Duration: Minimum 72 hours
• Required: 3 +1 votes from PMC members
• Veto: Any -1 vote must be addressed

Testing Checklist

- [ ] Source builds successfully
- [ ] Docker image builds
- [ ] Basic functionality works
- [ ] No critical bugs
- [ ] License check passes
- [ ] Security scan clean

4. Release Approval

Tally Votes

Subject: [RESULT][VOTE] Release Apache Superset X.Y.Z RC1

The vote to release Apache Superset X.Y.Z RC1 has passed.

+1 votes (binding):
- PMC Member 1
- PMC Member 2
- PMC Member 3

+1 votes (non-binding):
- Contributor 1
- Contributor 2

0 votes:
- None

-1 votes:
- None

Thank you to everyone who tested and voted!

5. Perform Release

Promote RC to Release

# Tag final release
git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Apache Superset X.Y.Z"
git push upstream vX.Y.Z

# Move from dev to release
svn mv https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/superset/X.Y.Zrc1 \
       https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/superset/X.Y.Z

Publish to PyPI

# Upload to PyPI
python -m twine upload dist/*X.Y.Z*

Build Docker Images

# Build and push Docker images
docker build -t apache/superset:X.Y.Z .
docker push apache/superset:X.Y.Z
docker tag apache/superset:X.Y.Z apache/superset:latest
docker push apache/superset:latest

6. Post-Release Tasks

Update Documentation

# Update docs version
cd docs
# Update docusaurus.config.js with new version
npm run build

Announcement Email

Send to announce@apache.org, dev@superset.apache.org:

Subject: [ANNOUNCE] Apache Superset X.Y.Z Released

The Apache Superset team is pleased to announce the release of
Apache Superset X.Y.Z.

Apache Superset is a modern data exploration and visualization platform.

This release includes [number] commits from [number] contributors.

Highlights:
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Bug fixes and improvements

Download: https://superset.apache.org/docs/installation/
Release Notes: https://github.com/apache/superset/releases/tag/vX.Y.Z
PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/apache-superset/
Docker: docker pull apache/superset:X.Y.Z

Thanks to all contributors who made this release possible!

The Apache Superset Team

Update GitHub Release

# Create GitHub release
gh release create vX.Y.Z \
  --title "Apache Superset X.Y.Z" \
  --notes-file RELEASE_NOTES.md

For Contributors

During Feature Freeze

What's Allowed

• ✅ Bug fixes
• ✅ Documentation updates
• ✅ Test improvements
• ✅ Security fixes

What's Not Allowed

• ❌ New features
• ❌ Major refactoring
• ❌ Breaking changes
• ❌ Risky changes

Testing RCs

How to Test

# Install RC from staging
pip install https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/superset/X.Y.Zrc1/apache-superset-X.Y.Zrc1.tar.gz

# Or use Docker
docker pull apache/superset:X.Y.Zrc1

What to Test

• Your use cases
• New features mentioned in release notes
• Upgrade from previous version
• Database migrations
• Critical workflows

Reporting Issues

Found issue in RC1:
- Description: [what's wrong]
- Steps to reproduce: [how to trigger]
- Impact: [blocker/major/minor]
- Suggested fix: [if known]

CHANGELOG Maintenance

Format

## X.Y.Z (YYYY-MM-DD)

### Features
- feat: Description (#PR_NUMBER)

### Fixes
- fix: Description (#PR_NUMBER)

### Breaking Changes
- BREAKING: Description (#PR_NUMBER)
  Migration: Steps to migrate

Generating CHANGELOG

# Use git log to generate initial list
git log --oneline vX.Y-1.Z..vX.Y.Z | grep -E "^[a-f0-9]+ (feat|fix|perf|refactor|docs)"

# Group by type and format

Breaking Changes Process

Documentation Required

UPDATING.md Entry

# X.Y.Z

## Breaking Change: [Title]

### Description
What changed and why.

### Before
```python
# Old way
old_function(param1, param2)

After

# New way
new_function(param1, param2, param3)

Migration Steps

1. Update your code to...
2. Run migration script...
3. Test that...

### Deprecation Process

1. **Version N**: Mark as deprecated
   ```python
   @deprecated(version="3.0.0", remove_in="4.0.0")
   def old_function():
       warnings.warn("Use new_function instead", DeprecationWarning)

2. Version N+1: Keep deprecated with warnings

3. Version N+2: Remove completely

Security Releases

Expedited Process

• No RC required for critical security fixes
• Coordinate with security@apache.org
• Embargo period may apply
• CVE assignment through ASF security team

Security Advisory Template

CVE-YYYY-XXXXX: [Title]

Severity: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Affected Versions: < X.Y.Z
Fixed Version: X.Y.Z

Description:
[Vulnerability description]

Mitigation:
[How to fix or work around]

Credit:
[Reporter name/organization]

Resources

Internal

• Apache Release Policy
• Superset Release History
• Version Strategy Discussion

Tools

• Release Scripts
• Superset Repository Scripts

Next: Return to Contributing Overview