semantic-release

You can automate npm publishing and changelog generation by configuring a .releaserc.json file and integrating the process into your CI/CD pipeline to parse conventional commit messages, bump semantic versions, and update your CHANGELOG.md automatically.

Semantic versioning determines version bumps by analyzing conventional commit message types: 'fix' triggers a patch bump, 'feat' triggers a minor bump, and 'BREAKING CHANGE' triggers a major version bump.

Yes, this release automation approach supports monorepo configurations alongside npm publishing and GitHub release creation, allowing you to manage tagged releases and package distribution from a single pipeline.

No, GitHub Actions is not strictly required, but integrating this automation into your CI/CD pipeline ensures consistent version management, changelog updates, and package publishing every time code merges to your main branch.

The best way to maintain an accurate changelog without manual entry is to enforce conventional commit message standards and use release automation to automatically create or update your CHANGELOG.md file based on those commits.

You need a .releaserc.json file to define your desired branch settings and plugin configurations, which tells the release automation tool how to parse commits, generate changelogs, and execute package publishing.