DevStackBox - Release Process

The exact checklist for every release. Follow this every time without shortcuts.

Current stable release: v0.1.8

Release Types

Version format: X.Y.Z - always clean semver. No hyphens, no pre-release text.

Step 1 - Pre-Release Checks

Before changing any version number, verify:

• All Phase 1 items in roadmap are complete for this milestone
• No CRITICAL issues in advanced/troubleshooting are newly introduced
• cargo build completes with zero errors
• pnpm tauri build completes with zero errors
• App starts and services can be started on a clean Windows test machine

Step 2 - Version Bump

Change version in ALL THREE files at the same time:

package.json

{
  "version": "0.1.9"
}

src-tauri/Cargo.toml

[package]
version = "0.1.9"

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

{
  "version": "0.1.9"
}

Verify they match:

node -e "const p=require('./package.json'); console.log('package.json:', p.version)"
grep "^version" src-tauri/Cargo.toml
grep '"version"' src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

Step 3 - Update CHANGELOG.md

Add an entry at the top:

## [0.1.9] - 2026-MM-DD

### Fixed

- Description of bug fix

### Added

- Description of new feature

### Changed

- Description of change

Keep the format consistent. Do not delete old entries.

Step 4 - Build Release

Set signing key (required for auto-update):

$env:TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY = "path-or-content-of-your-private-key"
pnpm tauri build

Expected output files:

• src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/DevStackBox_0.1.9_x64-setup.exe
• src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/DevStackBox_0.1.9_x64-setup.exe.sig

Create latest.json in the repo root (use the v0.1.8 file as a template). Paste the .sig file content into the signature field.

If the build fails:

1. Check src-tauri/target/release/build/ for Rust errors
2. Check that all three version numbers match exactly
3. Check that no new emoji were added to .github/workflows/*.yml

Step 5 - Smoke Tests

Run this checklist on the NSIS installer (not dev mode) on a clean Windows 11 machine or VM:

Installation:

• NSIS installer installs without errors
• App opens from Start Menu
• App opens without antivirus immediately blocking it

MySQL:

• MySQL starts successfully
• phpMyAdmin opens in browser
• MySQL stops successfully

Apache:

• Apache starts successfully
• http://localhost shows the www directory
• Apache stops successfully

Config:

• Config editor opens php.ini
• Config change is saved
• Config backup is created

General:

• Dark mode and light mode both work
• Language switcher works (EN and HI)
• Sidebar navigation loads all pages without errors

Step 6 - Generate SHA-256 Hash (optional)

Get-FileHash "src-tauri\target\release\bundle\nsis\DevStackBox_0.1.9_x64-setup.exe" -Algorithm SHA256

Include the hash in the GitHub Release description if you want transparency for users.

Step 7 - GitHub Release

1. Create a git tag:

   git tag v0.1.9
   git push origin v0.1.9

2. Go to GitHub Releases

3. Fill in:

   • Tag: v0.1.9
   • Title: v0.1.9
   • Description: Copy from CHANGELOG.md
   • Attach files: DevStackBox_0.1.9_x64-setup.exe and latest.json

4. Click Publish Release.

Step 8 - Post-Release

• Verify the download links in the GitHub Release page work
• Verify releases/latest/download/latest.json shows the new version
• Close GitHub Issues that were fixed in this release
• Update feature-status if feature status changed

Auto-Updater

The in-app updater is active as of v0.1.8. Every release must include:

1. Signed NSIS build (TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY set during pnpm tauri build)
2. latest.json in the repo root signature from the .sig file, download URL matching the uploaded .exe
3. Upload latest.json as a release asset named exactly latest.json

Updater endpoint (configured in tauri.conf.json):

https://github.com/DevStackBox/DevStackBox/releases/latest/download/latest.json

After publishing, test About → Check for updates from an older install.

What Can Go Wrong