How do I integrate GitLab Release Note Generator into my GitLab CI pipeline?

Copy the provided .sample.gitlab-ci.yml to your project, set GITLAB_PERSONAL_TOKEN as a CI variable, and customize the job triggers—the sample includes a job that runs on tag pushes with a regex pattern for automation.

Can I use GitLab Release Note Generator with a self-hosted GitLab instance?

Yes, set the GITLAB_API_ENDPOINT environment variable to your instance's API URL; the default is https://gitlab.com/api/v4, but it can be adjusted for internal deployments, as specified in the options.

What happens if my merge requests don't have the required labels?

The tool will still generate release notes, but changes won't be categorized under sections like 'enhancement' or 'bug'. Items without labels might appear in a default group, though the README doesn't detail a fallback mechanism, potentially reducing clarity.

GitLab Release Note Generator vs github-changelog-generator: which is better for GitLab projects?

GitLab Release Note Generator is tailored for GitLab with native CI integration and label-based categorization, while github-changelog-generator is for GitHub. For GitLab-specific workflows, this tool offers tighter integration, but if you need cross-platform support, github-changelog-generator is more versatile.

How to run GitLab Release Note Generator without Docker, just using Node.js?

Install NodeJS ^10.x.x, set environment variables like GITLAB_PERSONAL_TOKEN and GITLAB_PROJECT_ID in app/env.js or process.env, then run npm install and npm start, as outlined in the Nodejs Method section.

Does it support generating release notes for a specific tag rather than the latest?

Not currently; the TODO list mentions 'Release notes generation on selected tag' as a planned feature. Currently, it only generates notes for the latest tag based on the release timeframe between tags.

GitLab-Release-Note-Generator

MITJavaScript

A GitLab CI/CD tool that automatically generates structured release notes from merged merge requests and closed issues.

GitHub

What is GitLab-Release-Note-Generator?

GitLab Release Note Generator is an open-source tool that automatically creates release notes for GitLab projects. It scans tags, merged merge requests, and closed issues within a release timeframe, then generates a structured changelog categorized by labels like enhancements, bugs, and breaking changes. It solves the problem of manual, error-prone release documentation.

Target Audience

GitLab users, DevOps engineers, and development teams who manage releases through GitLab and want to automate their changelog generation as part of CI/CD pipelines.

Value Proposition

Developers choose this tool because it integrates seamlessly with GitLab CI, requires minimal configuration, and produces consistent, well-organized release notes without manual intervention. Its label-based categorization and support for custom GitLab instances offer flexibility over generic solutions.

Overview

A Gitlab release note generator

Use Cases

Best For

Automating release note generation in GitLab CI/CD pipelines

Related Projects

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub

100 stars36 forks0 contributors

Generating changelogs from merged merge requests and closed issues

Categorizing release changes by labels like bug, feature, or breaking change

Running release automation as a Docker container in any environment

Maintaining consistent release documentation across multiple projects

Integrating with self-hosted GitLab instances for internal deployments

Not Ideal For

Projects using GitHub, Bitbucket, or other version control systems instead of GitLab
Teams that do not use or inconsistently apply specific labels like enhancement, breaking change, feature, and bug for categorization
Developers needing to generate release notes for arbitrary or selected tags on demand, as this feature is listed as TODO
Environments requiring highly customizable release note templates or advanced formatting options

Pros & Cons

Pros

Seamless CI/CD Integration

Designed to run automatically in GitLab CI pipelines, triggered by tag pushes, with a provided sample .gitlab-ci.yml file for easy setup, as shown in the Gitlab CI method section.

Docker Containerization

Supports deployment as a containerized service with clear Docker commands in the README, allowing easy execution in any environment without Node.js dependencies.

Configurable via Environment Variables

Offers flexible customization through environment variables like GITLAB_API_ENDPOINT for self-hosted instances and TARGET_TAG_REGEX for branch-specific tagging, detailed in the options section.

Label-Based Organization

Automatically groups merge requests and issues by labels such as enhancement, breaking change, feature, and bug for structured changelogs, as explained in the feature list and how it works.

Cons

No Template Customization

The TODO list admits that customizing the release note template is a missing feature, limiting control over output formatting and styling.

GitLab-Exclusive Support

Only works with GitLab, making it unsuitable for projects hosted on other platforms like GitHub, which is a fundamental limitation not addressed in the README.

Label Dependency and Duplication

Relies heavily on specific labels for categorization, and items with multiple labels are duplicated in output, potentially cluttering notes if labels are not managed carefully, as noted in the feature description.