CiviCRM Release Mechanics

• Prerequisites
• CiviCRM v4.6.x
  • Publish a final release
  • Announce a final release
• CiviCRM v4.7.x (out-of-date instructions)
  • Publish a release candidate
  • Evaluate a release candidate
  • Publish a final release
  • Announce a final release
• CiviCRM v5.x
  • Publish a release candidate
  • Evaluate a release candidate
  • Publish a stable release
  • Announce a stable release
  • Patch a stable release

Comparison: Each release has some policy differences, leading to slight variations in the release process. Key differences:

• 4.6 and 4.7 have slightly different release policies: 4.7 uses release-candidates, and 4.6 does not.
• During 2016-2017, monthly iterations produced new 4.7.x.
• Beginning in 2018, monthly iterations produced new 5.x.0.