- What does the michael-rubel/artisan-release-command package do?
- It provides an Artisan command that automates a GitHub release workflow for Laravel packages and applications. From a single CLI invocation it bumps the version, commits the change, creates a Git tag, and pushes it to your remote. It is build-and-release tooling rather than runtime code, so it is intended for developers at release time.
- How do I install artisan-release-command in a Laravel app?
- Install it with Composer as a dev dependency, typically using composer require --dev michael-rubel/artisan-release-command. The package registers its Artisan command through a service provider that Laravel auto-discovers, so no manual registration is normally needed. There is likely one publishable config file if you need to customize defaults.
- Does it support Laravel 12 and which PHP versions are required?
- The last release was in November 2024, so it almost certainly covers Laravel 10 and 11, but Laravel 12 support is unconfirmed. Check the package composer.json constraints against your PHP and Laravel versions before piloting it. Do not assume compatibility with newer Laravel releases without verifying.
- Should artisan-release-command be installed in require-dev or production?
- It belongs in require-dev because it only registers an Artisan command and has no runtime footprint in the deployed application. It performs irreversible git operations such as tag creation and push, so it should never be part of a production deployment path. Removing it is a simple composer remove with zero production risk.
- What git operations does the command perform and which steps are irreversible?
- The documented workflow bumps the version, commits the change, creates a Git tag, and pushes the tag to your remote. Tag creation and push are the irreversible steps because a pushed tag is visible to others and may trigger CI or package registry workflows. Review the small source fully to confirm the exact order and any file mutations before using it on a real release.
- Does artisan-release-command support dry-run, verbose mode, or CI execution?
- The overview does not state whether a dry-run or verbose flag exists, and the tool is built around a developer-driven CLI workflow. It may rely on interactive prompts, which makes headless CI use uncertain. Test it against a throwaway remote and confirm non-interactive behavior before putting it in a pipeline.
- Can I customize release steps or skip version bump, commit, or push?
- Configuration details are not fully described beyond a likely publishable config file, so you need to verify which steps are skippable or overridable. Also confirm whether the command enforces a clean working tree, the correct branch, and a detached-HEAD guard. If you need signed tags, changelog generation, or custom ordering, check those before adopting.
- How does it compare with a custom Artisan command or GitHub Actions workflow?
- The package wraps steps most teams already document in a release runbook, and the same result is reproducible with roughly 100 lines of shell or a custom Artisan command. It fits local, developer-driven releases better than CI-driven pipelines that need headless execution. For a small dependency, adopting the pattern and owning the code is often the better trade-off.
- Is artisan-release-command actively maintained and what is the abandonment risk?
- The maturity signals are weak: about 15 stars, zero dependents, a single maintainer, and a last release in November 2024. That makes it a bus-factor-one package with a meaningful chance of going unmaintained. The MIT license, small codebase, and reproducible scope mitigate the risk, so vendoring or forking the command is a credible fallback.
- How should I trial artisan-release-command before using it for real releases?
- Install it as a dev dependency in one low-consequence internal service and run it against a sandbox repo with a disposable remote. Diff the resulting git state against what your manual runbook produces and keep the documented runbook as a fallback for at least two release cycles. Assign an internal owner before expanding adoption.