semantic-release/docs/usage/configuration.md

Configuration

semantic-release configuration consist of:

• Git repository options (URL, release branch and tag format)
• plugins definition
• run mode (debug, dry run and local (no CI))

All those options can be configured directly or by extending a shareable configuration.

Additionally, metadata of Git tags generated by semantic-release can be customized via standard Git environment variables.

Configuration file

semantic-release’s options, mode and plugins can be set via:

• A .releaserc file, written in YAML or JSON, with optional extensions: .yaml/.yml/.json/.js
• A release.config.js file that exports an object
• A release key in the project's package.json file

Alternatively some options can be set via CLI arguments.

The following three examples are the same.

Via release key in the project's package.json file:

{
  "release": {
    "branch": "next"
  }
}

$ semantic-release

Via .releaserc file:

{
  "branch": "next"
}

$ semantic-release

Via CLI argument:

$ semantic-release --branch next

Note: CLI arguments take precedence over options configured in the configuration file.

Note: Plugin options cannot be defined via CLI arguments and must be defined in the configuration file.

Note: When configuring via package.json, the configuration must be under the release property. However, when using a .releaserc or a release.config.js file, the configuration must be set without a release property.

Options

extends

Type: Array, String
CLI arguments: -e, --extends

List of modules or file paths containing a shareable configuration. If multiple shareable configurations are set, they will be imported in the order defined with each configuration option taking precedence over the options defined in a previous shareable configuration.

Note: Options defined via CLI arguments or in the configuration file will take precedence over the ones defined in any shareable configuration.

branch

Type: String
Default: master
CLI arguments: -b, --branch

The branch on which releases should happen.

repositoryUrl

Type: String
Default: repository property in package.json or git origin url
CLI arguments: -r, --repository-url

The git repository URL.

Any valid git url format is supported (See Git protocols).

tagFormat

Type: String
Default: v${version}
CLI arguments: -t, --tag-format

The Git tag format used by semantic-release to identify releases. The tag name is generated with Lodash template and will be compiled with the version variable.

Note: The tagFormat must contain the version variable exactly once and compile to a valid Git reference.

plugins

Type: Array
Default: ['@semantic-release/commit-analyzer', '@semantic-release/release-notes-generator', '@semantic-release/npm', '@semantic-release/github']
CLI arguments: -p, --plugins

Define the list of plugins to use. Plugins will run in series, in the order defined, for each steps if they implement it.

Plugins configuration can defined by wrapping the name and an options object in an array.

See Plugins configuration for more details.

dryRun

Type: Boolean
Default: false if running in a CI environment, true otherwise
CLI arguments: -d, --dry-run

Dry-run mode, skip publishing, print next version and release notes.

ci

Type: Boolean
Default: true
CLI arguments: --ci / --no-ci

Set to false to skip Continuous Integration environment verifications. This allows for making releases from a local machine.

Note: The CLI arguments --no-ci is equivalent to --ci false.

debug

Type: Boolean
Default: false
CLI argument: --debug

Output debugging information. It can also be enabled by setting the DEBUG environment variable to semantic-release:*.

Git environment variables

Variable	Description	Default
GIT_AUTHOR_NAME	The author name associated with the Git release tag. See Git environment variables.	@semantic-release-bot.
GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL	The author email associated with the Git release tag. See Git environment variables.	@semantic-release-bot email address.
GIT_COMMITTER_NAME	The committer name associated with the Git release tag. See Git environment variables.	@semantic-release-bot.
GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL	The committer email associated with the Git release tag. See Git environment variables.	@semantic-release-bot email address.