Implementation:Apache Spark Release Tag

Knowledge Sources	Apache Spark
Domains	Release_Engineering
Type	API Doc
Last Updated	2026-02-08 12:00 GMT

Overview

Shell script that creates a signed git release tag for Apache Spark and bumps version numbers for the next development cycle.

Description

release-tag.sh clones the release branch, updates version numbers across all build files (Maven POMs, Python setup.py, R DESCRIPTION, documentation), creates a signed git tag (e.g., v3.5.0-rc1), then commits the next SNAPSHOT version. It uses ASF (Apache Software Foundation) credentials for authenticated git push to the Apache repository.

The script performs the following operations in sequence:

1. Clone and checkout: Clones the Apache Spark repository and checks out the specified release branch.
2. Set release version: Updates version numbers in all build files to the release version using utility functions from release-util.sh.
3. Commit release version: Creates a git commit with the release version changes.
4. Create signed tag: Creates a GPG-signed git tag at the release version commit.
5. Set next development version: Updates all version numbers to the next SNAPSHOT version.
6. Commit next version: Creates a git commit with the SNAPSHOT version bump.
7. Push: Pushes both the tag and the version bump commits to the Apache repository using ASF credentials.

The version update process handled by release-util.sh (lines 55-73, 244-258) ensures consistency across the polyglot build system, updating Maven POMs, Python version files, R package metadata, and documentation configuration simultaneously.

Usage

Run as part of the release process (typically called by do-release-docker.sh). Requires ASF credentials and git configuration. Should not normally be run standalone unless debugging the tagging process.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: apache/spark
• Files:
  • dev/create-release/release-tag.sh (lines 1-145)
  • dev/create-release/release-util.sh (lines 55-73, 244-258)

Required Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Example
RELEASE_VERSION	Version being released	3.5.0
RELEASE_TAG	Git tag name	v3.5.0-rc1
NEXT_VERSION	Next development version	3.5.1-SNAPSHOT
GIT_BRANCH	Release branch name	branch-3.5
ASF_USERNAME	Apache credentials username	(ASF ID)
ASF_PASSWORD	Apache credentials password	(ASF password)
GIT_NAME	Git committer name	Release Manager
GIT_EMAIL	Git committer email	rm@apache.org

Version Update Targets

The script updates version numbers in the following files:

Target	Files Modified	Tool Used
Maven POMs	All pom.xml files	Maven versions plugin
Python	python/pyspark/version.py, python/setup.py	sed/shell
R	R/pkg/DESCRIPTION	sed/shell
Documentation	docs/_config.yml	sed/shell

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
Release version strings	environment variables	Yes	RELEASE_VERSION, RELEASE_TAG, NEXT_VERSION
ASF credentials	environment variables	Yes	ASF_USERNAME, ASF_PASSWORD for authenticated git push
Git branch name	environment variable	Yes	GIT_BRANCH specifying the release branch
Git identity	environment variables	Yes	GIT_NAME, GIT_EMAIL for commit authorship
GPG key	GPG keyring	Yes	For creating signed tags

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
Git tag	git tag	Signed tag (e.g., v3.5.0-rc1) pushed to the Apache repository
Version bump commits	git commits	Commits updating all POMs, R, Python, and docs to the next SNAPSHOT version

Usage Examples

Typical Invocation (via do-release.sh)

RELEASE_VERSION=3.5.0 \
RELEASE_TAG=v3.5.0-rc1 \
NEXT_VERSION=3.5.1-SNAPSHOT \
GIT_BRANCH=branch-3.5 \
ASF_USERNAME=myasfid \
ASF_PASSWORD=mypassword \
GIT_NAME="Release Manager" \
GIT_EMAIL="rm@apache.org" \
dev/create-release/release-tag.sh

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Apache_Spark_Release_Version_Tagging
• Environment:Apache_Spark_Release_Build_Environment