Release Documentation

Release documentation accompanies design system versions with information consumers need for adoption. This includes changelogs, release notes, migration guides, and updated API documentation. Quality release documentation enables consumers to upgrade confidently and use new features correctly.

What Is Release Documentation

Release documentation is the written content associated with design system releases. It answers what changed, why it changed, how to upgrade, and how to use new capabilities. Documentation bridges the gap between code changes and consumer understanding.

Release documentation differs from ongoing documentation by focusing on changes between versions. While general documentation explains how to use the design system, release documentation explains what is different from before.

How Release Documentation Works

Release documentation involves creating, maintaining, and delivering version-specific content. Each element contributes to consumer success with new releases.

Creation generates documentation for each release. Changelogs list changes. Release notes provide narrative explanation. Migration guides help consumers upgrade. API documentation updates reflect new capabilities.

Maintenance keeps documentation accurate and accessible. Documentation should match released code. Errors or gaps should be corrected promptly. Historical documentation should remain available for older versions.

Delivery ensures consumers find documentation when needed. Documentation sites, npm readme files, and GitHub releases all deliver documentation. Multiple channels increase the likelihood consumers find relevant information.

Timing coordinates documentation with releases. Documentation should be ready when releases publish. Consumers installing new versions should immediately find supporting documentation.

Key Considerations

• Prepare documentation before releases publish
• Include both what changed and how to adapt
• Maintain documentation for supported versions
• Make documentation easy to find
• Update documentation when errors are discovered

Common Questions

What documentation should accompany each release?

Different release types need different documentation depth. Minimum requirements vary by change scope.

Patch releases need minimal documentation. Changelog entries describing bug fixes are typically sufficient. Consumers do not need detailed guidance for minor fixes.

Minor releases need feature documentation. Changelog entries plus documentation for new features help consumers adopt additions. Examples and API documentation for new capabilities are valuable.

Major releases need comprehensive documentation. Breaking changes require migration guides. Significant features need detailed documentation. Release notes should explain the overall direction and impact.

All releases benefit from clear changelogs. Consistent changelog entries help consumers understand any release regardless of type.

How should documentation be versioned alongside code?

Documentation versioning ensures consumers find documentation matching their installed version. Several approaches support this.

Documentation sites with version selectors let consumers choose their version. The documentation content switches to match the selected version. This is common for documentation platforms like Docusaurus or VuePress.

Git tags capture documentation state at release time. Documentation in the repository is tagged with each release. Consumers can access historical documentation through tags.

Separate documentation versioning maintains documentation history independently. This allows documentation corrections without code changes but adds complexity.

Published packages can include documentation. README files, CHANGELOG.md, and other documentation in the npm package travel with the code they describe.

Summary

Release documentation helps consumers understand and adopt new design system versions. Changelogs, release notes, migration guides, and API documentation serve different needs. Versioned documentation ensures consumers find information matching their installed version.