PEP: 101 Title: Doing Python Releases 101 Author: Barry Warsaw , Guido van Rossum Status: Active Type: Informational Created: 22-Aug-2001 Post-History: Replaces: 102 .. highlight:: shell Abstract ======== Making a Python release is a thrilling and crazy process. You've heard the expression "herding cats"? Imagine trying to also saddle those purring little creatures up, and ride them into town, with some of their buddies firmly attached to your bare back, anchored by newly sharpened claws. At least they're cute, you remind yourself. Actually, no, that's a slight exaggeration 😉 The Python release process has steadily improved over the years and now, with the help of our amazing community, is really not too difficult. This PEP attempts to collect, in one place, all the steps needed to make a Python release. Most of the steps are now automated or guided by automation, so manually following this list is no longer necessary. Things You'll Need ================== As a release manager there are a lot of resources you'll need to access. Here's a hopefully-complete list. * A GPG key. Python releases are digitally signed with GPG; you'll need a key, which hopefully will be on the "web of trust" with at least one of the other release managers. * A bunch of software: * A checkout of the `python/release-tools`_ repo. It contains a `requirements.txt `_ file that you need to install dependencies from first. Afterwards, you can fire up scripts in the repo, covered later in this PEP. * `blurb `__, the `Misc/NEWS `_ management tool. You can pip install it. * Access to servers where you will upload files: * ``downloads.nyc1.psf.io``, the server that hosts download files; and * ``docs.nyc1.psf.io``, the server that hosts the documentation. * Administrator access to `python/cpython`_. * An administrator account on `www.python.org`_, including an "API key". * Write access to the `python/peps`_ repository. If you're reading this, you probably already have this--the first task of any release manager is to draft the release schedule. But in case you just signed up... sucker! I mean, uh, congratulations! * Posting access to `blog.python.org`_, a Blogger-hosted weblog. The RSS feed from this blog is used for the 'Python News' section on `www.python.org`_. * A subscription to the super secret release manager mailing list, which may or may not be called ``python-cabal``. Bug Barry about this. * A ``@python.org`` email address that you will use to sign your releases with. Ask ``postmaster@`` for an address; you can either get a full account, or a redirecting alias + SMTP credentials to send email from this address that looks legit to major email providers. * Be added to the `Python Security Response Team `__. Types of Releases ================= There are several types of releases you will need to make. These include: * ``alpha`` * ``begin beta``, also known as ``beta 1``, also known as ``new branch`` * ``beta 2+`` * ``release candidate 1`` * ``release candidate 2+`` * ``final`` * ``new branch`` * ``begin bugfix mode`` * ``begin security-only mode`` * ``end-of-life`` Some of these release types actually involve more than one release branch. In particular, a **new branch** is that point in the release cycle when a new feature release cycle begins. Under the current organization of the CPython Git repository, the *main* branch is always the target for new features. At some point in the release cycle of the next feature release, a **new branch** release is made which creates a new separate branch for stabilization and later maintenance of the current in-progress feature release (``3.n.0``) and the *main* branch is modified to build a new version (which will eventually be released as ``3.n+1.0``). While the **new branch** release step could occur at one of several points in the release cycle, current practice is for it to occur at feature code cutoff for the release which is scheduled for the first beta release. In the descriptions that follow, steps specific to release types are labeled accordingly, for now, **new branch** and **final**. How To Make A Release ===================== Here are the steps taken to make a Python release. Some steps are more fuzzy than others because there's little that can be automated (e.g. writing the NEWS entries). Where a step is usually performed by An Expert, the role of that expert is given. Otherwise, assume the step is done by the Release Manager (RM), the designated person performing the release. The roles and their current experts are: * RM = Release Manager - Hugo van Kemenade (FI) - Thomas Wouters (NL) - Pablo Galindo Salgado (UK) - Łukasz Langa (PL) * WE = Windows - Steve Dower * ME = Mac - Ned Deily (US) * DE = Docs - Julien Palard (Central Europe) .. note:: It is highly recommended that the RM contact the Experts the day before the release. Because the world is round and everyone lives in different timezones, the RM must ensure that the release tag is created in enough time for the Experts to cut binary releases. You should not make the release public (by updating the website and sending announcements) before all experts have updated their bits. In rare cases where the expert for Windows or Mac is MIA, you may add a message "(Platform) binaries will be provided shortly" and proceed. As much as possible, the release steps are automated and guided by the release script, which is available in a separate repository: `python/release-tools`_. We use the following conventions in the examples below. Where a release number is given, it is of the form ``3.X.YaN``, e.g. 3.13.0a3 for Python 3.13.0 alpha 3, where "a" == alpha, "b" == beta, "rc" == release candidate. Release tags are named ``v3.X.YaN``. The branch name for minor release maintenance branches is ``3.X``. This helps by performing several automatic editing steps, and guides you to perform some manual editing steps. - Log into Discord and join the Python Core Devs server. Ask Thomas or Łukasz for an invite. You probably need to coordinate with other people around the world. This communication channel is where we've arranged to meet. - Check to see if there are any showstopper bugs. Go to https://github.com/python/cpython/issues and look for any open bugs that can block this release. You're looking at two relevant labels: `release-blocker`_ Stops the release dead in its tracks. You may not make any release with any open release blocker bugs. `deferred-blocker`_ Doesn't block this release, but it will block a future release. You may not make a final or candidate release with any open deferred blocker bugs. Review the release blockers and either resolve them, bump them down to deferred, or stop the release and ask for community assistance. If you're making a final or candidate release, do the same with any open deferred. - Check the stable buildbots. Go to https://buildbot.python.org/all/#/release_status Look at the buildbots for the release you're making. Ignore any that are offline (or inform the community so they can be restarted). If what remains are (mostly) green buildbots, you're good to go. If you have non-offline red buildbots, you may want to hold up the release until they are fixed. Review the problems and use your judgement, taking into account whether you are making an alpha, beta, or final release. - Make a release clone. On a fork of the CPython repository on GitHub, create a release branch within it (called the "release clone" from now on). You can use the same GitHub fork you use for CPython development. Using the standard setup recommended in the `Python Developer's Guide `__, your fork would be referred to as ``origin`` and the standard CPython repo as ``upstream``. You will use the branch on your fork to do the release engineering work, including tagging the release, and you will use it to share with the other experts for making the binaries. For a **final** or **release candidate 2+** release, if you are going to cherry-pick a subset of changes for the next rc or final from all those merged since the last rc, you should create a release engineering branch starting from the most recent release candidate tag, i.e. ``v3.8.0rc1``. You will then cherry-pick changes from the standard release branch as necessary into the release engineering branch and then proceed as usual. If you are going to take all of the changes since the previous rc, you can proceed as normal. - Make sure the current branch of your release clone is the branch you want to release from (``git status``). - Run ``blurb release `` specifying the version number (e.g. ``blurb release 3.4.7rc1``). This merges all the recent news blurbs into a single file marked with this release's version number. - Regenerate ``Lib/pydoc-topics.py``. While still in the ``Doc`` directory, run:: make pydoc-topics cp build/pydoc-topics/topics.py ../Lib/pydoc_data/topics.py - Commit your changes to ``pydoc_topics.py`` (and any fixes you made in the docs). - Consider running ``autoconf`` using the currently accepted standard version in case ``configure`` or other Autoconf-generated files were last committed with a newer or older version and may contain spurious or harmful differences. Currently, Autoconf 2.71 is our de facto standard. if there are differences, commit them. - Make sure the ``SOURCE_URI`` in ``Doc/tools/extensions/pyspecific.py`` points to the right branch in the Git repository (``main`` or ``3.X``). For a **new branch** release, change the branch in the file from ``main`` to the new release branch you are about to create (``3.X``). - Bump version numbers via the release script:: .../release-tools/release.py --bump 3.X.YaN Reminder: ``X``, ``Y``, and ``N`` should be integers. ``a`` should be one of ``a``, ``b``, or ``rc`` (e.g. ``3.4.3rc1``). For **final** releases omit the ``aN`` (``3.4.3``). For the first release of a new version ``Y`` should be ``0`` (``3.6.0``). This automates updating various release numbers, but you will have to modify a few files manually. If your ``$EDITOR`` environment variable is set up correctly, ``release.py`` will pop up editor windows with the files you need to edit. Review the blurb-generated ``Misc/NEWS`` file and edit as necessary. - Make sure all changes have been committed. (``release.py --bump`` doesn't check in its changes for you.) - Check the years on the copyright notice. If the last release was some time last year, add the current year to the copyright notice in several places: - ``README`` - ``LICENSE`` (make sure to change on ``main`` and the branch) - ``Python/getcopyright.c`` - ``Doc/copyright.rst`` - ``Doc/license.rst`` - ``PC/python_ver_rc.h`` sets up the DLL version resource for Windows (displayed when you right-click on the DLL and select Properties). This isn't a C include file, it's a Windows "resource file" include file. - For a **final** major release, edit the first paragraph of ``Doc/whatsnew/3.X.rst`` to include the actual release date; e.g. "Python 2.5 was released on August 1, 2003." There's no need to edit this for alpha or beta releases. - Do a ``git status`` in this directory. You should not see any files, i.e., you better not have any uncommitted changes in your working directory. - Tag the release for ``3.X.YaN``:: .../release-tools/release.py --tag 3.X.YaN This executes a ``git tag`` command with the ``-s`` option so that the release tag in the repo is signed with your GPG key. When prompted choose the private key you use for signing release tarballs etc. - For **begin security-only mode** and **end-of-life** releases, review the two files and update the versions accordingly in all active branches. - Time to build the source tarball. Use the release script to create the source gzip and xz tarballs, documentation tar and zip files, and GPG signature files:: .../release-tools/release.py --export 3.X.YaN This can take a while for **final** releases, and it will leave all the tarballs and signatures in a subdirectory called ``3.X.YaN/src``, and the built docs in ``3.X.YaN/docs`` (for **final** releases). Note that the script will sign your release with Sigstore. Use your **@python.org** email address for this. See here for more information: https://www.python.org/download/sigstore/. - Now you want to perform the very important step of checking the tarball you just created, to make sure a completely clean, virgin build passes the regression test. Here are the best steps to take:: cd /tmp tar xvf /path/to/your/release/clone///Python-3.2rc2.tgz cd Python-3.2rc2 ls # (Do things look reasonable?) ls Lib # (Are there stray .pyc files?) ./configure # (Loads of configure output) make test # (Do all the expected tests pass?) If you're feeling lucky and have some time to kill, or if you are making a release candidate or **final** release, run the full test suite:: make buildbottest If the tests pass, then you can feel good that the tarball is fine. If some of the tests fail, or anything else about the freshly unpacked directory looks weird, you better stop now and figure out what the problem is. - Push your commits to the remote release branch in your GitHub fork:: # Do a dry run first. git push --dry-run --tags origin # Make sure you are pushing to your GitHub fork, # *not* to the main python/cpython repo! git push --tags origin - Notify the experts that they can start building binaries. .. warning:: **STOP**: at this point you must receive the "green light" from other experts in order to create the release. There are things you can do while you wait though, so keep reading until you hit the next STOP. - The WE generates and publishes the Windows files using the Azure Pipelines build scripts in ``.azure-pipelines/windows-release/``, currently set up at https://dev.azure.com/Python/cpython/_build?definitionId=21. The build process runs in multiple stages, with each stage's output being available as a downloadable artifact. The stages are: - Compile all variants of binaries (32-bit, 64-bit, debug/release), including running profile-guided optimization. - Compile the HTML Help file containing the Python documentation. - Codesign all the binaries with the PSF's certificate. - Create packages for python.org, nuget.org, the embeddable distro and the Windows Store. - Perform basic verification of the installers. - Upload packages to python.org and nuget.org, purge download caches and run a test download. After the uploads are complete, the WE copies the generated hashes from the build logs and emails them to the RM. The Windows Store packages are uploaded manually to https://partner.microsoft.com/dashboard/home by the WE. - The ME builds Mac installer packages and uploads them to downloads.nyc1.psf.io together with GPG signature files. - ``scp`` or ``rsync`` all the files built by ``release.py --export`` to your home directory on ``downloads.nyc1.psf.io``. While you're waiting for the files to finish uploading, you can continue on with the remaining tasks. You can also ask folks on Discord and/or `discuss.python.org`_ to download the files as they finish uploading so that they can test them on their platforms as well. - Now you need to go to ``downloads.nyc1.psf.io`` and move all the files in place over there. Our policy is that every Python version gets its own directory, but each directory contains all releases of that version. - On ``downloads.nyc1.psf.io``, ``cd /srv/www.python.org/ftp/python/3.X.Y`` creating it if necessary. Make sure it is owned by group ``downloads`` and group-writable. - Move the release ``.tgz``, and ``.tar.xz`` files into place, as well as the ``.asc`` GPG signature files. The Win/Mac binaries are usually put there by the experts themselves. Make sure they are world readable. They should also be group writable, and group-owned by ``downloads``. - Use ``gpg --verify`` to make sure they got uploaded intact. - If this is a **final** or rc release: Move the doc zips and tarballs to ``/srv/www.python.org/ftp/python/doc/3.X.Y[rcA]``, creating the directory if necessary, and adapt the "current" symlink in ``.../doc`` to point to that directory. Note though that if you're releasing a maintenance release for an older version, don't change the current link. - If this is a **final** or rc release (even a maintenance release), also unpack the HTML docs to ``/srv/docs.python.org/release/3.X.Y[rcA]`` on ``docs.nyc1.psf.io``. Make sure the files are in group ``docs`` and are group-writeable. - Let the DE check if the docs are built and work all right. - Note both the documentation and downloads are behind a caching CDN. If you change archives after downloading them through the website, you'll need to purge the stale data in the CDN like this:: curl -X PURGE https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.12.0/Python-3.12.0.tar.xz You should always purge the cache of the directory listing as people use that to browse the release files:: curl -X PURGE https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.12.0/ - For the extra paranoid, do a completely clean test of the release. This includes downloading the tarball from `www.python.org`_. Make sure the md5 checksums match. Then unpack the tarball, and do a clean make test:: make distclean ./configure make test To ensure that the regression test suite passes. If not, you screwed up somewhere! .. warning:: **STOP** and confirm: - Have you gotten the green light from the WE? - Have you gotten the green light from the ME? - Have you gotten the green light from the DE? If green, it's time to merge the release engineering branch back into the main repo. - In order to push your changes to GitHub, you'll have to temporarily disable branch protection for administrators. Go to the ``Settings | Branches`` page: https://github.com/python/cpython/settings/branches "Edit" the settings for the branch you're releasing on. This will load the settings page for that branch. Uncheck the "Include administrators" box and press the "Save changes" button at the bottom. - Merge your release clone into the main development repo:: # Pristine copy of the upstream repo branch git clone git@github.com:python/cpython.git merge cd merge # Checkout the correct branch: # 1. For feature pre-releases up to and including a # **new branch** release, i.e. alphas and first beta # do a checkout of the main branch git checkout main # 2. Else, for all other releases, checkout the # appropriate release branch. git checkout 3.X # Fetch the newly created and signed tag from your clone repo git fetch --tags git@github.com:your-github-id/cpython.git v3.X.YaN # Merge the temporary release engineering branch back into git merge --no-squash v3.X.YaN git commit -m 'Merge release engineering branch' - If this is a **new branch** release, i.e. first beta, now create the new release branch:: git checkout -b 3.X Do any steps needed to setup the new release branch, including: * In ``README.rst``, change all references from ``main`` to the new branch, in particular, GitHub repo URLs. - For *all* releases, do the guided post-release steps with the release script:: .../release-tools/release.py --done 3.X.YaN - For a **final** or **release candidate 2+** release, you may need to do some post-merge cleanup. Check the top-level ``README.rst`` and ``include/patchlevel.h`` files to ensure they now reflect the desired post-release values for on-going development. The patchlevel should be the release tag with a ``+``. Also, if you cherry-picked changes from the standard release branch into the release engineering branch for this release, you will now need to manually remove each blurb entry from the ``Misc/NEWS.d/next`` directory that was cherry-picked into the release you are working on since that blurb entry is now captured in the merged ``x.y.z.rst`` file for the new release. Otherwise, the blurb entry will appear twice in the ``changelog.html`` file, once under ``Python next`` and again under ``x.y.z``. - Review and commit these changes:: git commit -m 'Post release updates' - If this is a **new branch** release (e.g. the first beta), update the ``main`` branch to start development for the following feature release. When finished, the ``main`` branch will now build Python ``X.Y+1``. - First, set ``main`` up to be the next release, i.e. X.Y+1.a0:: git checkout main .../release-tools/release.py --bump 3.9.0a0 - Edit all version references in ``README.rst`` - Move any historical "what's new" entries from ``Misc/NEWS`` to ``Misc/HISTORY``. - Edit ``Doc/tutorial/interpreter.rst`` (two references to '[Pp]ython3x', one to 'Python 3.x', also make the date in the banner consistent). - Edit ``Doc/tutorial/stdlib.rst`` and ``Doc/tutorial/stdlib2.rst``, which have each one reference to '[Pp]ython3x'. - Add a new ``whatsnew/3.x.rst`` file (with the comment near the top and the toplevel sections copied from the previous file) and add it to the toctree in ``whatsnew/index.rst``. But beware that the initial ``whatsnew/3.x.rst`` checkin from previous releases may be incorrect due to the initial midstream change to ``blurb`` that propagates from release to release! Help break the cycle: if necessary make the following change: .. code-block:: diff -For full details, see the :source:`Misc/NEWS` file. +For full details, see the :ref:`changelog `. - Update the version number in ``configure.ac`` and re-run ``autoconf``. - Make sure the ``SOURCE_URI`` in ``Doc/tools/extensions/pyspecific.py`` points to ``main``. - Update the version numbers for the Windows builds which have references to ``python38``:: ls PC/pyconfig.h.in PCbuild/rt.bat | xargs sed -i 's/python3\(\.\?\)[0-9]\+/python3\19/g' - Commit these changes to the main branch:: git status git add ... git commit -m 'Bump to 3.9.0a0' - Do another ``git status`` in this directory. You should not see any files, i.e., you better not have any uncommitted changes in your working directory. - Commit and push to the main repo:: # Do a dry run first. # For feature pre-releases prior to a **new branch** release, # i.e. a feature alpha release: git push --dry-run --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git main # If it looks OK, take the plunge. There's no going back! git push --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git main # For a **new branch** release, i.e. first beta: git push --dry-run --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git 3.X git push --dry-run --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git main # If it looks OK, take the plunge. There's no going back! git push --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git 3.X git push --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git main # For all other releases: git push --dry-run --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git 3.X # If it looks OK, take the plunge. There's no going back! git push --tags git@github.com:python/cpython.git 3.X - If this is a **new branch** release, add a ``Branch protection rule`` for the newly created branch (3.X). Look at the values for the previous release branch (3.X-1) and use them as a template. https://github.com/python/cpython/settings/branches Also, add a ``needs backport to 3.X`` label to the GitHub repo. https://github.com/python/cpython/labels - You can now re-enable enforcement of branch settings against administrators on GitHub. Go back to the ``Settings | Branch`` page: https://github.com/python/cpython/settings/branches "Edit" the settings for the branch you're releasing on. Re-check the "Include administrators" box and press the "Save changes" button at the bottom. Now it's time to twiddle the website. Almost none of this is automated, sorry. To do these steps, you must have the permission to edit the website. If you don't have that, ask someone on pydotorg@python.org for the proper permissions. - Log in to https://www.python.org/admin - Create a new "release" for the release. Currently "Releases" are sorted under "Downloads". The easiest thing is probably to copy fields from an existing Python release "page", editing as you go. You can use `Markdown `_ or `reStructured Text `_ to describe your release. The former is less verbose, while the latter has nifty integration for things like referencing PEPs. Leave the "Release page" field on the form empty. - "Save" the release. - Populate the release with the downloadable files. Your friend and mine, Georg Brandl, made a lovely tool called ``add-to-pydotorg.py``. You can find it in the `python/release-tools`_ repo (next to ``release.py``). You run the tool on ``downloads.nyc1.psf.io``, like this:: AUTH_INFO=: python add-to-pydotorg.py This walks the correct download directory for ````, looks for files marked with ````, and populates the "Release Files" for the correct "release" on the web site with these files. Note that clears the "Release Files" for the relevant version each time it's run. You may run it from any directory you like, and you can run it as many times as you like if the files happen to change. Keep a copy in your home directory on dl-files and keep it fresh. If new types of files are added to the release, someone will need to update ``add-to-pydotorg.py`` so it recognizes these new files. (It's best to update ``add-to-pydotorg.py`` when file types are removed, too.) The script will also sign any remaining files that were not signed with Sigstore until this point. Again, if this happens, do use your ``@python.org`` address for this process. More info: https://www.python.org/download/sigstore/ - In case the CDN already cached a version of the Downloads page without the files present, you can invalidate the cache using:: curl -X PURGE https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-XXX/ - If this is a **final** release: - Add the new version to the *Python Documentation by Version* page ``https://www.python.org/doc/versions/`` and remove the current version from any 'in development' section. - For 3.X.Y, edit all the previous X.Y releases' page(s) to point to the new release. This includes the content field of the ``Downloads -> Releases`` entry for the release:: Note: Python 3.x.(y-1) has been superseded by `Python 3.x.y `_. And, for those releases having separate release page entries (phasing these out?), update those pages as well, e.g. ``download/releases/3.x.y``:: Note: Python 3.x.(y-1) has been superseded by `Python 3.x.y `_. - Update the "Current Pre-release Testing Versions web page". There's a page that lists all the currently-in-testing versions of Python: * https://www.python.org/download/pre-releases/ Every time you make a release, one way or another you'll have to update this page: - If you're releasing a version before *3.x.0*, you should add it to this page, removing the previous pre-release of version *3.x* as needed. - If you're releasing *3.x.0 final*, you need to remove the pre-release version from this page. This is in the "Pages" category on the Django-based website, and finding it through that UI is kind of a chore. However! If you're already logged in to the admin interface (which, at this point, you should be), Django will helpfully add a convenient "Edit this page" link to the top of the page itself. So you can simply follow the link above, click on the "Edit this page" link, and make your changes as needed. How convenient! - If appropriate, update the "Python Documentation by Version" page: * https://www.python.org/doc/versions/ This lists all releases of Python by version number and links to their static (not built daily) online documentation. There's a list at the bottom of in-development versions, which is where all alphas/betas/RCs should go. And yes you should be able to click on the link above then press the shiny, exciting "Edit this page" button. - Write the announcement on `discuss.python.org`_. This is the fuzzy bit because not much can be automated. You can use an earlier announcement as a template, but edit it for content! - Once the announcement is up on Discourse, send an equivalent to the following mailing lists: * python-list@python.org * python-announce@python.org * python-dev@python.org - Also post the announcement to the `Python Insider blog `_. To add a new entry, go to `your Blogger home page, here `_. - Update any release PEPs (e.g. 719) with the release dates. - Update the labels on https://github.com/python/cpython/issues: - Flip all the `deferred-blocker`_ issues back to `release-blocker`_ for the next release. - Add version ``3.X+1`` as when version ``3.X`` enters alpha. - Change non-doc feature requests to version ``3.X+1`` when version ``3.X`` enters beta. - Update issues from versions that your release makes unsupported to the next supported version. - Review open issues, as this might find lurking showstopper bugs, besides reminding people to fix the easy ones they forgot about. - You can delete the remote release clone branch from your repo clone. - If this is a **new branch** release, you will need to ensure various pieces of the development infrastructure are updated for the new branch. These include: - Update the `issue tracker`_ for the new branch: add the new version to the versions list. - Update the `devguide `__ to reflect the new branches and versions. - Create a PR to update the supported releases table on the `downloads page `__ (see `python/pythondotorg#1302 `__). - Ensure buildbots are defined for the new branch (contact Łukasz or Zach Ware). - Ensure the various GitHub bots are updated, as needed, for the new branch, in particular, make sure backporting to the new branch works (contact the `core-workflow team `__). - Review the most recent commit history for the ``main`` and new release branches to identify and backport any merges that might have been made to the ``main`` branch during the release engineering phase and that should be in the release branch. - Verify that CI is working for new PRs for the ``main`` and new release branches and that the release branch is properly protected (no direct pushes, etc). - Verify that the `on-line docs `__ are building properly (this may take up to 24 hours for a complete build on the website). What Next? ========== * Verify! Pretend you're a user: download the files from `www.python.org`_, and make Python from it. This step is too easy to overlook, and on several occasions we've had useless release files. Once a general server problem caused mysterious corruption of all files; once the source tarball got built incorrectly; more than once the file upload process on SF truncated files; and so on. * Rejoice. Drink. Be Merry. Write a PEP like this one. Or be like unto Guido and take A Vacation. You've just made a Python release! Moving to End-of-life ===================== Under current policy, a release branch normally reaches end-of-life status five years after its initial release. The policy is discussed in more detail in the `Python Developer's Guide `_. When end-of-life is reached, there are a number of tasks that need to be performed either directly by you as release manager or by ensuring someone else does them. Some of those tasks include: - Optionally making a final release to publish any remaining unreleased changes. - Freeze the state of the release branch by creating a tag of its current HEAD and then deleting the branch from the CPython repo. The current HEAD should be at or beyond the final security release for the branch:: git fetch upstream git tag --sign -m 'Final head of the former 3.3 branch' 3.3 upstream/3.3 git push upstream refs/tags/3.3 - If all looks good, delete the branch. This may require the assistance of someone with repo administrator privileges:: git push upstream --delete 3.3 # or perform from GitHub Settings page - Remove the release from the list of "Active Python Releases" on the Downloads page. To do this, `log in to the admin page `__ for python.org, navigate to Boxes, and edit the ``downloads-active-releases`` entry. Strip out the relevant paragraph of HTML for your release. (You'll probably have to do the ``curl -X PURGE`` trick to purge the cache if you want to confirm you made the change correctly.) - Add a retired notice to each release page on python.org for the retired branch. For example: * https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-337/ * https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-336/ - In the `developer's guide `__, set the branch status to end-of-life and update or remove references to the branch elsewhere in the devguide. - Retire the release from the `issue tracker`_. Tasks include: * remove version label from list of versions * remove the ``needs backport to`` label for the retired version * review and dispose of open issues marked for this branch - Announce the branch retirement in the usual places: * `discuss.python.org`_ * mailing lists (python-dev, python-list, python-announcements) * Python Dev blog - Enjoy your retirement and bask in the glow of a job well done! Windows Notes ============= Windows has a MSI installer, various flavors of Windows have "special limitations", and the Windows installer also packs precompiled "foreign" binaries (Tcl/Tk, expat, etc). The installer is tested as part of the Azure Pipeline. In the past, those steps were performed manually. We're keeping this for posterity. Concurrent with uploading the installer, the WE installs Python from it twice: once into the default directory suggested by the installer, and later into a directory with embedded spaces in its name. For each installation, the WE runs the full regression suite from a DOS box, and both with and without -0. For maintenance release, the WE also tests whether upgrade installations succeed. The WE also tries *every* shortcut created under Start -> Menu -> the Python group. When trying IDLE this way, you need to verify that Help -> Python Documentation works. When trying pydoc this way (the "Module Docs" Start menu entry), make sure the "Start Browser" button works, and make sure you can search for a random module (like "random" ) and then that the "go to selected" button works. It's amazing how much can go wrong here -- and even more amazing how often last-second checkins break one of these things. If you're "the Windows geek", keep in mind that you're likely the only person routinely testing on Windows, and that Windows is simply a mess. Repeat the testing for each target architecture. Try both an Admin and a plain User (not Power User) account. Copyright ========= This document has been placed in the public domain. .. _blog.python.org: https://blog.python.org .. _deferred-blocker: https://github.com/python/cpython/labels/deferred-blocker .. _discuss.python.org: https://discuss.python.org .. _issue tracker: https://github.com/python/cpython/issues .. _python/cpython: https://github.com/python/cpython .. _python/peps: https://github.com/python/peps .. _python/release-tools: https://github.com/python/release-tools .. _release-blocker: https://github.com/python/cpython/labels/release-blocker .. _www.python.org: https://www.python.org