Tagging & Releases

Master Git tags, semantic versioning, and release management workflows.

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Tags are references to specific commits that remain permanent, unlike branches which move. They're essential for marking releases, creating checkpoints, and enabling reproducible builds.

While tags and branches both point to commits, their lifecycle is fundamentally different. A branch moves forward with every new commit, representing ongoing development. A tag is a snapshot — it points to one commit and stays there forever. This immutability makes tags the gold standard for release management: v1.0.0 will always mean the same commit, even years later. Tags also enable downstream consumers to pin their dependencies to specific versions, ensuring reproducible builds across environments.

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