Release preparation checklist

Bump versions

All clients and server apps contain a version definition that needs to be updated with every release. This version is used for communication between components to ensure they are compatible with eachother. Versions are also used for official publication on the app stores.

For bumping the version for all projects in one go, you can use the interactive script located in:

./scripts/bump_version.sh

Alternatively, you can do it manually by following these steps:

Versioning client and server

Update ./apps/server/Shared/AliasVault.Shared.Core/AppInfo.cs and update major/minor/patch to the new version. This version will be shown in the client and admin app footer. This version should be equal to the git release tag.
Update ./apps/server/Shared/AliasVault.Shared.Core/AppInfo.cs with the minimum supported client versions.
- Only required if new API output breaks earlier client versions and/or this version of the client/API will upgrade the client vault model to a new major version.
Update ./install.sh @version in header ONLY if the install script content has changed since the last release. This allows the install script to self-update when running the ./install.sh update command on default installations.

Versioning browser extensions

Update ./apps/browser-extension/wxt.config.ts with the new version for the extension. This will be shown in the browser extension web stores. This version should be equal to the git release tag.
Update ./apps/browser-extension/safari-xcode/AliasVault/AliasVault.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj and set the version in MARKETING_VERSION and increase the build number in CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION. This is the version that will be shown in the Safari Browser Extension App Store.
Update ./apps/browser-extension/src/utils/AppInfo.ts with the new version for the extension. This version should be equal to the git release tag.
Update ./apps/browser-extension/src/utils/AppInfo.ts with the minimum supported server version (in case of required API breaking changes).
Update ./apps/browser-extension/src/utils/AppInfo.ts with the minimum supported client vault version (in case of required client vault model changes).

Versioning mobile apps

Update ./apps/mobile-app/app.json with the new version for the mobile app. This version should be equal to the git release tag.
Update ./apps/mobile-app/utils/AppInfo.ts with the new version for the mobile app. This version should be equal to the git release tag.
Update ./apps/mobile-app/utils/AppInfo.ts with the minimum supported server version (in case of required API breaking changes).
Update ./apps/mobile-app/utils/AppInfo.ts with the minimum supported client vault version (in case of required client vault model changes).
Update ./apps/mobile-app/ios/AliasVault.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj and set the version in MARKETING_VERSION and increase the build number in CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION. This is the version that will be shown in the iOS App Store.
Update ./apps/mobile-app/android/app/build.gradle and set the version in versionName and increase the build number in versionCode.

Install script (docker images)

If docker containers have been added or removed:

Verify that .github/workflows/release.yml contains references to all docker images that need to be published.
Update install.sh and verify that the images=() array that takes care of pulling the images from the GitHub Container Registry is updated.

Update documentation

Update /docs instructions if any changes have been made to the setup process
Update README screenshots if applicable
Update README current/upcoming features

Release flow

Follow the steps below to publish a new release to the various channels.

Create a new release on GitHub

The creation of the new release tag will cause the install.sh script to see the new version via GitHub and prompt the user to update when install.sh update is run.

Create a new release on GitHub with a new tag in semver format, e.g. 0.12.0.
Add a description to the release and generate the changelog.
Publish the release.

Publish new Docker Images

The creation of the new release tag will automatically trigger the GitHub Actions workflow Publish Docker Images which will build the docker images and push them to the GitHub Container Registry. After publishing, the images will then be available for the installation script to pull during the update. Do take note that this publish step may take up to 15 minutes to complete. Between the creation of the release tag and the completion of the publish step, the installation script will not be able to pull the new images (yet) and can throw errors, this is expected. After the publish is completed, users can update their self-hosted installation by following the update guide

Publish new browser extension version

The GitHub Actions workflow Browser Extension Build will build the browser extension(s) and publish the archive to the GitHub Actions Artifacts page and also upload the archives to the release.

Note: this step is only required if the browser extension has been updated.

Download the browser extension archives from the newly published release. Note: it can take a few minutes for the artifacts to be available after the release has been published.
Upload the Chrome archive to the Chrome Web Store.
Upload the Firefox archive (normal + sources) to the Firefox Add-ons page.
Upload the Edge archive to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons page.
Submit the Safari extension to Apple for review:
1. Navigate to the apps/browser-extension directory.
2. Build the safari extension locally via npm run build:safari, which will output the build files to dist/safari-mv2. Note: it’s important to always rebuild, as otherwise stale build files from a previous build might get included in the Safari binary by accident!
3. Open the apps/browser-extension/safari-xcode/AliasVault/AliasVault.xcodeproj project in Xcode and submit the extension via the “Archive” and then “Distribute App” option.

Publish new Mobile App version

Submit the iOS app to Apple for review:
1. Open the apps/mobile-app/ios/AliasVault.xcworkspace project in Xcode and submit the extension via the “Archive” and then “Distribute App” option.
Submit the Android app to Google Play Console for review:
1. Run the gradle build in the apps/mobile-app/android folder:
```
./gradlew app:bundleRelease
```
2. The resulting .aapb file will be available in the following location.
```
apps/mobile-ap/android/app/build/outputs/bundle/release
```
3. Take this file and upload it to the Google Play Console.