Releases

Note: The Releases API replaces the Downloads API. You can retrieve the download count and browser download URL from the endpoints in this API that return releases and release assets.

List releases

This returns a list of releases, which does not include regular Git tags that have not been associated with a release. To get a list of Git tags, use the Repository Tags API.

Information about published releases are available to everyone. Only users with push access will receive listings for draft releases.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`per_page`	integer	query	Results per page (max 100) Default: `30`
`page`	integer	query	Page number of the results to fetch. Default: `1`

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases

Response

Status: 200

[
  {
    "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
    "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
    "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
    "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
    "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
    "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
    "target_commitish": "master",
    "name": "v1.0.0",
    "body": "Description of the release",
    "draft": false,
    "prerelease": false,
    "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "author": {
      "login": "octocat",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
      "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
      "gravatar_id": "",
      "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
      "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
      "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
      "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
      "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
      "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
      "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
      "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
      "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
      "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
      "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
      "type": "User",
      "site_admin": false
    },
    "assets": [
      {
        "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
        "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
        "name": "example.zip",
        "label": "short description",
        "state": "uploaded",
        "content_type": "application/zip",
        "size": 1024,
        "download_count": 42,
        "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
        "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
        "uploader": {
          "login": "octocat",
          "id": 1,
          "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
          "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
          "gravatar_id": "",
          "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
          "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
          "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
          "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
          "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
          "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
          "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
          "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
          "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
          "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
          "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
          "type": "User",
          "site_admin": false
        }
      }
    ]
  }
]

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	OK
`404`	Resource not found

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Create a release

Users with push access to the repository can create a release.

This endpoint triggers notifications. Creating content too quickly using this endpoint may result in secondary rate limiting. See "Secondary rate limits" and "Dealing with secondary rate limits" for details.

post /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`tag_name`	string	body	Required. The name of the tag.
`target_commitish`	string	body	Specifies the commitish value that determines where the Git tag is created from. Can be any branch or commit SHA. Unused if the Git tag already exists. Default: the repository's default branch (usually `master`).
`name`	string	body	The name of the release.
`body`	string	body	Text describing the contents of the tag.
`draft`	boolean	body	`true` to create a draft (unpublished) release, `false` to create a published one.
`prerelease`	boolean	body	`true` to identify the release as a prerelease. `false` to identify the release as a full release.
`discussion_category_name`	string	body	If specified, a discussion of the specified category is created and linked to the release. The value must be a category that already exists in the repository. For more information, see "Managing categories for discussions in your repository."
`generate_release_notes`	boolean	body	Whether to automatically generate the name and body for this release. If `name` is specified, the specified name will be used; otherwise, a name will be automatically generated. If `body` is specified, the body will be pre-pended to the automatically generated notes.

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases \
  -d '{"tag_name":"v1.0.0","target_commitish":"master","name":"v1.0.0","body":"Description of the release","draft":false,"prerelease":false,"generate_release_notes":false}'

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  tag_name: 'v1.0.0',
  target_commitish: 'master',
  name: 'v1.0.0',
  body: 'Description of the release',
  draft: false,
  prerelease: false,
  generate_release_notes: false
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  --method POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases \
  -f tag_name='v1.0.0' -f target_commitish='master' -f name='v1.0.0' -f body='Description of the release' -F draft=false -F prerelease=false -F generate_release_notes=false

Response

Status: 201

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`201`	Created
`404`	Not Found if the discussion category name is invalid
`422`	Validation failed

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Generate release notes content for a release

Generate a name and body describing a release. The body content will be markdown formatted and contain information like the changes since last release and users who contributed. The generated release notes are not saved anywhere. They are intended to be generated and used when creating a new release.

post /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/generate-notes

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`tag_name`	string	body	Required. The tag name for the release. This can be an existing tag or a new one.
`target_commitish`	string	body	Specifies the commitish value that will be the target for the release's tag. Required if the supplied tag_name does not reference an existing tag. Ignored if the tag_name already exists.
`previous_tag_name`	string	body	The name of the previous tag to use as the starting point for the release notes. Use to manually specify the range for the set of changes considered as part this release.
`configuration_file_path`	string	body	Specifies a path to a file in the repository containing configuration settings used for generating the release notes. If unspecified, the configuration file located in the repository at '.github/release.yml' or '.github/release.yaml' will be used. If that is not present, the default configuration will be used.

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/generate-notes \
  -d '{"tag_name":"v1.0.0","target_commitish":"main","previous_tag_name":"v0.9.2","configuration_file_path":".github/custom_release_config.yml"}'

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/generate-notes', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  tag_name: 'v1.0.0',
  target_commitish: 'main',
  previous_tag_name: 'v0.9.2',
  configuration_file_path: '.github/custom_release_config.yml'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  --method POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/generate-notes \
  -f tag_name='v1.0.0' -f target_commitish='main' -f previous_tag_name='v0.9.2' -f configuration_file_path='.github/custom_release_config.yml'

Name and body of generated release notes

Status: 200

{
  "name": "Release v1.0.0 is now available!",
  "body": "##Changes in Release v1.0.0 ... ##Contributors @monalisa"
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	Name and body of generated release notes
`404`	Resource not found

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Get the latest release

View the latest published full release for the repository.

The latest release is the most recent non-prerelease, non-draft release, sorted by the created_at attribute. The created_at attribute is the date of the commit used for the release, and not the date when the release was drafted or published.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/latest

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/latest

Response

Status: 200

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	OK

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Get a release by tag name

Get a published release with the specified tag.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/tags/{tag}

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`tag`	string	path	tag parameter

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/tags/TAG

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/tags/{tag}', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  tag: 'TAG'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/tags/TAG

Response

Status: 200

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	OK
`404`	Resource not found

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Get a release

Note: This returns an upload_url key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`release_id`	integer	path	release_id parameter

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  release_id: 'RELEASE_ID'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID

Note: This returns an `upload_url` key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.

Status: 200

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	Note: This returns an `upload_url` key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.
`404`	Resource not found

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Update a release

Users with push access to the repository can edit a release.

patch /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`release_id`	integer	path	release_id parameter
`tag_name`	string	body	The name of the tag.
`target_commitish`	string	body	Specifies the commitish value that determines where the Git tag is created from. Can be any branch or commit SHA. Unused if the Git tag already exists. Default: the repository's default branch (usually `master`).
`name`	string	body	The name of the release.
`body`	string	body	Text describing the contents of the tag.
`draft`	boolean	body	`true` makes the release a draft, and `false` publishes the release.
`prerelease`	boolean	body	`true` to identify the release as a prerelease, `false` to identify the release as a full release.
`discussion_category_name`	string	body	If specified, a discussion of the specified category is created and linked to the release. The value must be a category that already exists in the repository. If there is already a discussion linked to the release, this parameter is ignored. For more information, see "Managing categories for discussions in your repository."

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -X PATCH \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID \
  -d '{"tag_name":"v1.0.0","target_commitish":"master","name":"v1.0.0","body":"Description of the release","draft":false,"prerelease":false}'

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  release_id: 'RELEASE_ID',
  tag_name: 'v1.0.0',
  target_commitish: 'master',
  name: 'v1.0.0',
  body: 'Description of the release',
  draft: false,
  prerelease: false
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  --method PATCH \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID \
  -f tag_name='v1.0.0' -f target_commitish='master' -f name='v1.0.0' -f body='Description of the release' -F draft=false -F prerelease=false

Response

Status: 200

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`200`	OK
`404`	Not Found if the discussion category name is invalid

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

Delete a release

Users with push access to the repository can delete a release.

delete /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

Name	Type	In	Description
`accept`	string	header	Setting to`application/vnd.github.v3+json` is recommended.
`owner`	string	path
`repo`	string	path
`release_id`	integer	path	release_id parameter

Code samples

Example

Shell

curl \
  -X DELETE \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID

JavaScript @octokit/core.js

await octokit.request('DELETE /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'OWNER',
  repo: 'REPO',
  release_id: 'RELEASE_ID'
})

GitHub CLI gh api

gh api \
  --method DELETE \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  /repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/RELEASE_ID

Response

Status: 204

Status codes

HTTP Status Code	Description
`204`	No Content

Notes

Works with GitHub Apps

List releases

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Create a release

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Generate release notes content for a release

Example

Name and body of generated release notes

Status codes

Notes

Get the latest release

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Get a release by tag name

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Get a release

Example

Note: This returns an upload_url key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.

Status codes

Notes

Update a release

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Delete a release

Example

Response

Status codes

Notes

Note: This returns an `upload_url` key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.