Release management software automates managing the release of software and applications from development stage to software release at a finer more technical grain than project management software.
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Release management tools are concerned with the development, testing, deployment, and support of software releases. The software release cycle from development to deployment and support has become an increasingly complex process and with the growing popularity of agile methodologies within the last 10 years, releases are becoming much more frequent and the cycle is very compressed. The responsibility of software engineering departments to keep up with the relentless pace of the release cycle has led to a strong need for automation, simplification, and faster solutions.
Increasingly, the release lifecycle includes automated processes like test automation, deployment automation, and even feedback automation where needed fixes are gathered automatically and fed back into the development pipeline. They are generally considered a new yet important discipline within the field of software engineering. Continuous delivery, DevOps, and agile software development practices have become more used within software development and are known to rely on release management tools to aid in the release of applications becoming more frequent and fast.
Release management tools commonly include features found in changelog tools, since changelog delivery and management is an important part of release management. Release management tools are generally more comprehensive and focused on the overall release process, whereas changelog tools focus more specifically on change notes and user feedback.
Release management tools generally include the following features:
Company Size. Whether you’re a small, mid-size company or enterprise may determine the release management tool you decide to go with. Ansible, for example, may be serviceable for several types but is mainly used for enterprises.
Amount of projects. Some vendors are ideal for serving companies that take on a lot of projects at a time. Octopus Deploy is an example of a system ideal for companies that deploy multiple applications across multiple environments.
Ease of use. Using a release management tool for simplification of software release means having a system that isn’t overly difficult to understand or learn. It’s also worth noting choosing a vendor that offers a good support system that is responsive and personable rather than talking to robots or following a script.
Some of the vendors, such as Octopus Deploy, offer free versions of their products which contain a great deal of functionality. Pricing for more premium versions is usually dependent on the number of deployment targets and may start at around $100 per month and go up to about $2500. For yearly payments, look to pay around $5000 to $15000 annually. Free trials are available for some of the products as well.