Automated Release Repository

Overview

This repository demonstrates automated release workflows for a Spring Boot web application using GitHub Actions. It showcases various release automation patterns, semantic versioning, and deployment strategies that can be applied to enterprise software development workflows.

🚀 Project Architecture

Application Structure

• Framework: Spring Boot 2.6.3 with Java 8
• Build Tool: Maven with wrapper
• Main Application: com.example.springboot.Application
• REST Endpoint: HelloController serving "Greetings from Spring Boot!" at root URL
• Testing: JUnit 5 test framework

📚 Additional Documentation

• Demo Guide: Detailed walkthrough of the application structure and build process
• Help & References: Spring Boot documentation and useful guides

Key Features

• RESTful web service
• Maven-based build system
• Comprehensive GitHub Actions workflows
• Multi-environment deployment support
• Semantic versioning automation
• Security scanning and dependency management

🔧 Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Java 8 or higher
• Maven 3.x (or use included wrapper)
• Git

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd automated-release-main

2. Build the application

   ./mvnw clean package

3. Run the application

   ./mvnw spring-boot:run

4. Test the endpoint

   curl http://localhost:8080
   # Returns: "Greetings from Spring Boot!"

5. Run tests

   ./mvnw test

🚀 Release Automation Workflows

This repository includes multiple GitHub Actions workflows demonstrating different release strategies:

Core Release Workflows

Workflow	Trigger	Purpose
auto-release.yml	Push to main	Automatic release based on PR labels
release.yml	Manual/Push	Full release with artifact building
manual-release.yml	Manual	Manual release with version selection
package-and-deploy.yml	Manual	Package and deploy to GitHub Packages

Release Features

🏷️ Semantic Versioning

• Automatic version bumping based on PR labels:
  • MAJOR: Breaking changes (x.0.0)
  • MINOR: New features (0.x.0)
  • PATCH: Bug fixes (0.0.x)
• Custom semver action: Uses snsinahub-org/semver for version management
• Changelog generation: Automated changelog from commits and PRs

📦 Artifact Management

• Maven artifact building: Compiles JAR files
• GitHub Packages: Publishes to GitHub Package Registry
• Release assets: Attaches JAR files to GitHub releases
• SBOM generation: Software Bill of Materials for security compliance

🔄 Deployment Pipeline

• Multi-environment: Sandbox → UAT → Production
• Environment protection: Manual approvals for production
• Artifact promotion: Same artifact deployed across environments
• Deployment tracking: Status badges and reporting

Advanced Workflows

🔍 Quality & Security

• super-linter.yml: Code linting across multiple languages
• dependency-review-action.yml: Dependency vulnerability scanning
• scorecard.yml: OSSF Scorecard security assessment
• sbom.yml: Software Bill of Materials generation

🔧 Utility Workflows

• semver.yml: Semantic version testing
• list-releases.yml: Release management utilities
• download-release.yml: Release asset retrieval
• creat-pr-from-tag.yml: Tag-based PR creation

📋 Configuration Files

Maven Configuration

• pom.xml: Project dependencies and build configuration
• .mvn/local-settings.xml: GitHub Packages authentication
• config/m2-settings.xml: Alternative Maven settings

GitHub Configuration

• .github/release.yml: Release notes configuration
• .github/pull_request_template.md: PR template
• azure-pipelines.yml: Azure DevOps pipeline (legacy)

🔐 Security Considerations

Environment Variables

The following environment variables are required for full functionality:

• S_TOKEN: GitHub token for package publishing
• USERNAME: GitHub username for authentication
• GITHUB_TOKEN: Automatic GitHub Actions token

Security Features

• No hardcoded secrets in repository
• Environment-based authentication
• Dependency vulnerability scanning
• Security policy enforcement through workflows

🎯 Usage Examples

Triggering Releases

Automatic Release (Recommended)

1. Create a PR with appropriate labels (MAJOR, MINOR, or PATCH)
2. Merge to main branch
3. Release is automatically created with proper semantic version

Manual Release

1. Go to Actions → Manual release
2. Select release type (MAJOR/MINOR/PATCH)
3. Specify branch and version prefix
4. Trigger workflow

Package Deployment

1. Go to Actions → package and deploy
2. Enter desired version number
3. Deploys to GitHub Packages

Deployment Environments

• Sandbox: Development testing environment
• UAT: User acceptance testing
• Production: Live environment (requires approval)

🤝 Contributing

PR Guidelines

• Use semantic versioning labels (MAJOR, MINOR, PATCH)
• Follow the PR template
• Ensure all tests pass
• Update documentation as needed

Release Process

1. Create feature branch
2. Implement changes
3. Add appropriate tests
4. Create PR with semantic label
5. Code review and merge
6. Automatic release triggered

📊 Monitoring & Observability

• Workflow status badges: Real-time pipeline status
• Release tracking: GitHub releases with changelogs
• Artifact management: GitHub Packages integration
• Security scanning: Automated vulnerability detection

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Build failures: Check Java/Maven versions
2. Authentication errors: Verify GitHub tokens
3. Test failures: Run tests locally first
4. Deployment issues: Check environment configurations

Debug Resources

• GitHub Actions logs
• Maven build output
• Application logs via Spring Boot Actuator

📄 License & Support

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

This is a demonstration repository for release automation patterns. Adapt the workflows to your organization's needs and security requirements.

📖 Documentation Resources

• Demo Guide: Complete application overview and development setup
• Help & References: Spring Boot documentation, Maven guides, and external resources

For questions or support, refer to the GitHub Actions documentation and Spring Boot guides.