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Version format

Arius uses a semantic versioning scheme with the patch segment automatically set from the CI/CD run number.
ContextFormatExample
Production release (main branch)5.0.{GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER}5.0.123
Prerelease (non-main branch)5.0.{GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER}-prerelease5.0.123-prerelease
Local development build5.0.0-local5.0.0-local

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Version flow

1

Local development

When building locally without a GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER environment variable, MSBuild falls back to the hardcoded version 5.0.0-local. This value is embedded in the assembly at compile time.
2

CI build

On GitHub Actions, the GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER environment variable is automatically provided. MSBuild resolves $(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER) during compilation, producing a version such as 5.0.123.
3

Branch detection

A shell script in the CI pipeline inspects the branch name. For any branch other than main, it appends the -prerelease suffix, yielding 5.0.123-prerelease.
4

Artifact generation

All outputs — the CLI binary (.tar.gz), the Docker image, and the GitHub Release — are tagged with the same resolved version string.
5

Runtime display

At startup, the CLI reads the AssemblyFileVersionAttribute from the compiled assembly and displays the version to the user. Fallbacks are applied in order: assembly file version → assembly version → "unknown".

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Checking the current version

Run either command to print the version of your installed Arius binary: 
arius --version
For the Docker image: 
docker run --rm woutervanranst/arius --version

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Implementation details

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Project file (Arius.Cli.csproj)

The version is defined using an MSBuild conditional property:
  • When GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER is set (i.e., running in GitHub Actions), the version resolves to 5.0.$(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER).
  • Otherwise it falls back to 5.0.0-local.

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Runtime retrieval (Program.cs)

The GetVersion() method reads AssemblyFileVersionAttribute from the compiled assembly at runtime. This is the value displayed to users in the CLI output.

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Updating the major or minor version

To increment the major or minor segment (e.g., from 5.0 to 6.0), update both conditional <Version> elements in src/Arius.Cli/Arius.Cli.csproj:
  • Keep the $(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER) placeholder for CI builds.
  • Keep the -local suffix for the local development fallback.
<!-- CI build -->
<Version Condition="'$(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER)' != ''">6.0.$(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER)</Version>

<!-- Local development fallback -->
<Version Condition="'$(GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER)' == ''">6.0.0-local</Version>
Both entries must be updated together. If only one is changed, local builds and CI builds will report different major/minor versions.

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