Pros of action-gh-release

• More actively maintained with frequent updates
• Supports custom release notes generation
• Offers more flexibility in asset uploading

Cons of action-gh-release

• Lacks built-in changelog generation
• Doesn't support automatic version bumping
• May require more configuration for complex release scenarios

Code Comparison

release-action:

- uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
  with:
    artifacts: "release.tar.gz,foo/*.txt"
    bodyFile: "body.md"
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

action-gh-release:

- uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
  with:
    files: |
      release.tar.gz
      foo/*.txt
    body_path: body.md
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Both actions provide similar functionality for creating GitHub releases, but they differ in their approach and feature set. release-action offers built-in changelog generation and automatic version bumping, which can be beneficial for projects with standardized release processes. On the other hand, action-gh-release provides more flexibility in asset uploading and custom release notes generation, making it suitable for projects with unique release requirements.

The code comparison shows that both actions have similar syntax for specifying artifacts/files and body content. However, action-gh-release uses a multi-line format for specifying files, which can be more readable for longer lists of assets.

Pros of Release Drafter

• Automatically generates release notes based on pull request labels and titles
• Supports customizable categorization of changes (e.g., features, bug fixes)
• Maintains a draft release that can be manually edited before publishing

Cons of Release Drafter

• Requires more setup and configuration to achieve desired results
• Limited to creating draft releases, cannot directly publish releases
• Less flexibility in terms of release asset management

Code Comparison

Release Drafter configuration:

template: |
  ## What's Changed
  $CHANGES
categories:
  - title: '🚀 Features'
    labels:
      - 'feature'
  - title: '🐛 Bug Fixes'
    labels:
      - 'fix'

Release Action usage:

- uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
  with:
    artifacts: "release.tar.gz,foo/*.txt"
    bodyFile: "body.md"
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Release Drafter focuses on generating release notes based on pull requests, while Release Action provides more direct control over release creation and asset uploading. Release Drafter is better suited for projects with frequent contributions and a need for automated changelog generation, whereas Release Action offers more flexibility for projects with specific release requirements and asset management needs.

Pros of create-release

• Official GitHub action, potentially more stable and supported
• Simpler setup for basic release creation
• Integrates seamlessly with GitHub's release system

Cons of create-release

• Limited customization options
• Lacks advanced features like uploading multiple assets or updating existing releases
• No support for generating release notes from commit messages

Code Comparison

create-release:

- uses: actions/create-release@v1
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
  with:
    tag_name: ${{ github.ref }}
    release_name: Release ${{ github.ref }}
    body: |
      Changes in this Release
      - First Change
      - Second Change

release-action:

- uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
  with:
    artifacts: "release.tar.gz,foo/*.txt"
    bodyFile: "body.md"
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    draft: true
    prerelease: false
    generateReleaseNotes: true

release-action offers more flexibility and features, such as uploading multiple artifacts, using a separate file for the release body, and automatically generating release notes. However, create-release may be preferred for simpler use cases or when official GitHub integration is a priority. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project and workflow.