Changelog Manager

Quick Start

Create or update a changelog:

Review recent commits

git log --oneline --since="2024-01-01"

Check current version

cat package.json | grep version

Instructions

Step 1: Review Changes

Gather changes since last release:

Get commits since last tag

git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline

Or since specific date

git log --since="2024-01-01" --pretty=format:"%s"

Step 2: Categorize Changes

Group by type following Keep a Changelog:

Category Description Examples

Added New features New API endpoint, new command

Changed Changes to existing Updated algorithm, changed default

Deprecated Soon-to-be removed Old API marked deprecated

Removed Removed features Deleted unused function

Fixed Bug fixes Fixed crash, corrected calculation

Security Security fixes Patched vulnerability

Step 3: Format Entry

Follow Keep a Changelog format:

[Version] - YYYY-MM-DD

Added

• New feature description
• Another new feature

Changed

• Modified behavior description

Fixed

• Bug fix description

Step 4: Update CHANGELOG.md

Add new entry at the top (after "Unreleased"):

Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[Unreleased]

[2.1.0] - 2024-01-15

Added

• User authentication with JWT tokens
• Rate limiting for API endpoints

Changed

• Updated database schema for better performance
• Improved error messages

Fixed

• Fixed memory leak in background worker
• Corrected timezone handling in reports

[2.0.0] - 2023-12-01

Added

• Complete API rewrite
• GraphQL support

Changed

• BREAKING: New authentication system

Removed

• Legacy v1 API endpoints

Keep a Changelog Format

Version Header

[Version] - YYYY-MM-DD

• Use semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)

• Include release date

• Link to release tag

Change Categories

Order of sections:

• Added

• Changed

• Deprecated

• Removed

• Fixed

• Security

Writing guidelines:

• Start with verb: "Added", "Fixed", "Updated"

• Be specific but concise

• Include issue/PR numbers if applicable

• Highlight breaking changes with BREAKING

Examples

Good entries:

Added

• User profile page with avatar upload (#123)
• Export data to CSV functionality

Fixed

• Fixed crash when uploading files over 10MB (#456)
• Corrected calculation in tax report

Bad entries:

Added

• Stuff
• Various improvements

Fixed

• Bug fixes

Semantic Versioning

Determine version bump:

Change Type Version Bump Example

Breaking change MAJOR 1.0.0 → 2.0.0

New feature MINOR 1.0.0 → 1.1.0

Bug fix PATCH 1.0.0 → 1.0.1

Breaking changes:

• Removed functionality

• Changed API signatures

• Changed behavior that breaks existing code

Automation

Generate from Commits

If using conventional commits:

Install

npm install -g conventional-changelog-cli

Generate

conventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s

Pre-release Checklist

• All changes categorized

• Version number updated

• Release date added

• Breaking changes highlighted

• Links to issues/PRs included

• Unreleased section cleared