Automate release workflow via GitHub releases using Maven release plugin

.github/workflows/maven-publish.yml

@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
+# DEPRECATED: This workflow is kept for backward compatibility only
+# 
+# Please use the automated release process instead:
+# 1. Create a new release in GitHub UI with tag format vX.Y.Z
+# 2. The "Automated Release" workflow will handle the rest
+#
 # This workflow will build a Java project with Maven, and cache/restore any dependencies to improve the workflow execution time
 # For more information see: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/automating-builds-and-tests/building-and-testing-java-with-maven
 
-name: Maven Release
+name: Maven Release (Manual - Deprecated)
 
 on: workflow_dispatch
 jobs:

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+# This workflow automates the release process when a release is created on GitHub
+# It uses Maven release plugin to manage versions and deploys to Maven Central
+#
+# Usage:
+# 1. Create a new release in GitHub UI with tag format: vX.Y.Z (e.g., v1.2.0)
+#    - Select the target branch (typically main)
+# 2. This workflow will automatically:
+#    - Use Maven release:prepare to update versions and create release commits
+#    - Use Maven release:perform to build and deploy artifacts to Maven Central
+#    - Move the tag to point to the actual release commit
+#    - Push commits back to the originating branch
+
+name: Automated Release
+
+on:
+  release:
+    types: [created]  # Trigger when release is created
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write  # Required to push commits and update tags
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Validate release tag format
+        id: validate_tag
+        run: |
+          TAG_NAME="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+          echo "Release tag: $TAG_NAME"
+
+          # Validate tag format (should be vX.Y.Z)
+          if [[ ! "$TAG_NAME" =~ ^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Invalid tag format. Expected format: vX.Y.Z (e.g., v1.2.0)"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Remove 'v' prefix to get the version number
+          VERSION="${TAG_NAME#v}"
+          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "Extracted version: $VERSION"
+
+      - name: Determine target branch
+        id: target_branch
+        run: |
+          # Use target_commitish to determine the originating branch
+          TARGET="${{ github.event.release.target_commitish }}"
+
+          # If target_commitish is empty or a SHA, default to main
+          if [[ -z "$TARGET" ]] || [[ "$TARGET" =~ ^[0-9a-f]{40}$ ]]; then
+            TARGET="main"
+          fi
+
+          echo "target_branch=${TARGET}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "Target branch: $TARGET"
+
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ steps.target_branch.outputs.target_branch }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Delete user-created tag
+        run: |
+          TAG_NAME="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+
+          # Delete the tag created by the user (will be recreated by release:prepare)
+          git tag -d "$TAG_NAME" || true
+          git push origin ":refs/tags/$TAG_NAME" || true
+
+          echo "Deleted user-created tag $TAG_NAME"
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 17
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v5
+        with:
+          java-version: "17"
+          distribution: "temurin"
+          cache: maven
+
+      - name: Configure Git
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+      - name: Run Maven release:prepare
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${{ steps.validate_tag.outputs.version }}"
+          TAG_NAME="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+
+          echo "Preparing release version: $VERSION"
+          echo "Tag name: $TAG_NAME"
+
+          # Run release:prepare with explicit release version
+          # Maven will automatically calculate the next development version
+          ./mvnw -B release:prepare \
+            -DreleaseVersion="${VERSION}" \
+            -Dtag="${TAG_NAME}" \
+            -DpushChanges=false
+        env:
+          MAVEN_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.OSSRH_USERNAME }}
+          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.OSSRH_TOKEN }}
+          MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE }}
+
+      - name: Run Maven release:perform
+        run: |
+          echo "Performing release and deploying to Maven Central"
+
+          # Run release:perform to build and deploy
+          ./mvnw -B release:perform \
+            -DlocalCheckout=true \
+            -DeployAtEnd=true
+        env:
+          MAVEN_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.OSSRH_USERNAME }}
+          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.OSSRH_TOKEN }}
+          MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE }}
+
+      - name: Push changes to originating branch
+        run: |
+          TARGET_BRANCH="${{ steps.target_branch.outputs.target_branch }}"
+          TAG_NAME="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+
+          echo "Pushing changes to branch: $TARGET_BRANCH"
+
+          # Push the commits created by release:prepare
+          if ! git push --force-with-lease origin "HEAD:${TARGET_BRANCH}"; then
+            echo "::error::Failed to push release commits to ${TARGET_BRANCH} due to branch divergence."
+            echo "The remote branch may have new commits. Please resolve the conflict manually:"
+            echo "  1. Fetch the latest changes: git fetch origin"
+            echo "  2. Rebase or merge as needed, then push again with --force-with-lease."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Push the tag created by release:prepare
+          git push origin "$TAG_NAME"
+
+          echo "Pushed release commits and tag to $TARGET_BRANCH"

README.md

@@ -488,3 +488,7 @@ public ResponseEntity<Collection<UUID>> postStatements(
 }
 
 ```
+
+## Contributing
+
+For information about creating releases, see [RELEASING.md](RELEASING.md).

RELEASING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+# Release Process
+
+This document describes the automated release process for xAPI Java.
+
+## Overview
+
+The release process is **fully automated** via GitHub Actions. Creating a release is as simple as:
+1. Click "Create Release" in GitHub UI
+2. Enter tag (e.g., `v1.2.0`)
+3. Publish
+4. Wait for workflow to complete ✅
+
+All version management, building, testing, and deployment happens automatically.
+
+## Automated Release Process
+
+
+
+### Step 1: Create a GitHub Release
+
+1. Navigate to the [Releases page](https://github.com/BerryCloud/xapi-java/releases)
+2. Click **"Draft a new release"**
+3. **Choose a tag**: Enter the tag version in the format: `vX.Y.Z` (e.g., `v1.2.0`)
+   - The tag **must** start with `v` followed by semantic version numbers
+   - Example: `v1.1.16`, `v2.0.0`, `v1.2.3`
+4. **Target**: Select the branch to release from (typically `main`)
+   - The workflow will automatically detect and use this branch
+5. Enter a release title (e.g., "Release 1.2.0")
+6. Add release notes describing the changes
+7. Click **"Publish release"**
+
+### Step 2: Automated Workflow Execution
+
+Once you publish the release, the "Automated Release" workflow will:
+
+1. ✅ Validate the tag format (must be `vX.Y.Z`)
+2. ✅ Detect the target branch (auto-detected from release)
+3. ✅ Delete the user-created tag (will be recreated properly)
+4. ✅ **Run Maven release:prepare** to:
+   - Update all `pom.xml` files to the release version
+   - Commit the version change
+   - Create the release tag pointing to the release commit
+   - Update `pom.xml` files to the next SNAPSHOT version
+   - Commit the next development iteration
+5. ✅ **Run Maven release:perform** to:
+   - Check out the release tag
+   - Build and test the release version
+   - Deploy artifacts to Maven Central with GPG signatures
+6. ✅ Push commits and tag back to the originating branch
+
+**Workflow Diagram:**
+```
+User Action: Create Release (tag: v1.2.0, target: main)
+    ↓
+GitHub: Creates tag v1.2.0 → commit A (from main)
+    ↓
+Workflow: Detects target branch (main)
+    ↓
+Workflow: Deletes user-created tag v1.2.0
+    ↓
+Workflow: Runs release:prepare
+    ↓
+  - Commit B: pom.xml → 1.2.0 (release version)
+  - Creates tag v1.2.0 → commit B
+  - Commit C: pom.xml → 1.2.1-SNAPSHOT (next dev version)
+    ↓
+Workflow: Runs release:perform
+    ↓
+  - Checks out tag v1.2.0 (commit B)
+  - Builds and tests
+  - Deploys to Maven Central
+    ↓
+Workflow: Pushes commits B & C to main
+    ↓
+Workflow: Pushes tag v1.2.0 → commit B
+    ↓
+Result:
+  - Tag v1.2.0 → commit B (release version)
+  - Main branch → commit C (next SNAPSHOT: 1.2.1-SNAPSHOT)
+  - Artifacts deployed to Maven Central
+```
+
+### Step 3: Verify Release
+
+1. Check the [Actions tab](https://github.com/BerryCloud/xapi-java/actions) to ensure the workflow completed successfully
+2. Verify the target branch (e.g., `main`) has two new commits:
+   - Release commit: `[maven-release-plugin] prepare release vX.Y.Z`
+   - Development commit: `[maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration`
+3. Verify artifacts are available on [Maven Central](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/dev.learning.xapi/xapi-model)
+
+## Release Branch Strategy
+
+- **Main branch (`main`)** (or other target branch): Contains development code with `-SNAPSHOT` versions
+  - After each release, receives two commits from Maven release plugin:
+    1. Release commit: Version update to release version (X.Y.Z)
+    2. Development commit: Version update to next development version (X.Y.Z+1-SNAPSHOT)
+  - The HEAD always points to the next development version
+- **Release tags (`vX.Y.Z`)**: Created by Maven release plugin
+  - Points to the release version commit (first commit)
+  - Used for reproducible builds and deployments
+- **No separate release branches**: The release workflow pushes directly to the originating branch
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Release Workflow Failed
+
+If the automated release workflow fails:
+
+1. **Check the workflow logs** in the [Actions tab](https://github.com/BerryCloud/xapi-java/actions)
+2. **Identify the failed step** and review the error message
+3. **Common issues and solutions:**
+
+   | Issue | Solution |
+   |-------|----------|
+   | Invalid tag format | Use format `vX.Y.Z` (e.g., `v1.2.0`, not `1.2.0` or `v1.2`) |
+   | Missing secrets | Ensure GPG keys and Maven credentials are configured in repository secrets |
+   | Build failures | Fix build issues on main branch first, then retry release |
+   | Test failures | Fix failing tests on main branch first, then retry release |
+
+4. **After fixing issues:**
+   - Delete the failed release and tag in GitHub UI
+   - **Important**: Reset your target branch if commits were already pushed:
+     ```bash
+     # If release:prepare pushed commits before failure
+     git fetch origin
+     git checkout main  # or your target branch
+     git reset --hard origin/main~2  # Remove the 2 release commits
+     git push -f origin main
+     ```
+   - Create a new release with the same tag
+
+### Workflow Stuck or Taking Too Long
+
+The workflow typically takes 5-10 minutes. If it's taking longer:
+
+1. Check if tests are running (this is the longest step)
+2. Check for any hanging processes in the workflow logs
+3. You can cancel the workflow run and restart it
+
+### Artifacts Not Appearing on Maven Central
+
+If artifacts don't appear on Maven Central after a successful workflow:
+
+1. Check the Central Portal for deployment status: https://central.sonatype.com/
+2. Deployment can take up to 2 hours to sync to Maven Central
+3. Check for any deployment errors in the workflow logs
+4. Verify GPG signing was successful (check for GPG-related errors)