# 🚀 Publishing zfish to Crates.io - Step-by-Step Guide
## ✅ Pre-Publication Checklist
Before publishing, ensure:
- [x] All tests pass (`cargo test --all`)
- [x] No clippy warnings (`cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings`)
- [x] Examples compile and run (`cargo build --examples`)
- [x] Documentation builds (`cargo doc --no-deps`)
- [x] LICENSE file exists (MIT)
- [x] README.md is complete
- [x] Cargo.toml has all required fields
- [x] Version number is correct
## 📋 Publication Workflow
### Step 1: Create Crates.io Account
1. Go to https://crates.io
2. Click "Log in with GitHub"
3. Authorize the application
4. Go to https://crates.io/me
5. Click "Account Settings"
6. Generate a new API token
7. Copy the token (you'll need it later)
### Step 2: Configure Git & Commit Changes
```bash
# Add all new files
git add -A
# Commit with descriptive message
git commit -m "chore: prepare for initial release v0.1.0
- Add MIT license headers to all source files
- Create 8 comprehensive examples
- Add CI/CD workflows
- Create CHANGELOG.md
- Update README with logo and badges
- Add release workflow for automated publishing"
# Push to GitHub
git push origin main
```
### Step 3: Set Up GitHub Secrets
1. Go to your GitHub repository: https://github.com/JeetKarena/ZFish
2. Click "Settings" → "Secrets and variables" → "Actions"
3. Click "New repository secret"
4. Name: `CARGO_TOKEN`
5. Value: Paste your crates.io API token
6. Click "Add secret"
### Step 4: Wait for CI to Pass
1. Go to https://github.com/JeetKarena/ZFish/actions
2. Wait for all CI checks to pass (tests, clippy, fmt, docs)
3. If any fail, fix the issues and push again
### Step 5: Local Dry Run (Optional but Recommended)
```bash
# Test the package locally
cargo package --list
# Run a dry-run publish
cargo publish --dry-run
# If successful, you'll see:
# "uploading zfish v0.1.0"
# "warning: aborting upload due to dry run"
```
### Step 6: Create Release Tag
```bash
# Create and push a version tag
git tag -a v0.1.0 -m "Release version 0.1.0"
git push origin v0.1.0
```
This will automatically:
1. Trigger the release workflow
2. Run all tests
3. Run clippy checks
4. Build release binaries
5. Publish to crates.io
6. Create a GitHub release
### Step 7: Manual Publish (Alternative)
If you prefer to publish manually:
```bash
# Login to crates.io (one-time)
cargo login <your-api-token>
# Publish
cargo publish
```
### Step 8: Verify Publication
1. Check crates.io: https://crates.io/crates/zfish
2. Check docs.rs: https://docs.rs/zfish (builds automatically)
3. Test installation: `cargo install zfish`
## 🔄 Future Releases
For subsequent releases:
1. Update version in `Cargo.toml`
2. Update `CHANGELOG.md` with changes
3. Commit changes
4. Create new tag: `git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "Release 0.2.0"`
5. Push tag: `git push origin v0.2.0`
6. GitHub Actions will handle the rest!
## 🛡️ Safety Features
The release workflow includes:
- ✅ Version verification (tag must match Cargo.toml)
- ✅ Full test suite execution
- ✅ Clippy lint checks
- ✅ Dry-run before actual publish
- ✅ Automatic GitHub release creation
## 📊 Post-Publication
After publishing:
1. Monitor https://docs.rs/zfish for documentation build
2. Check https://lib.rs/crates/zfish for listing
3. Add badges to README (already included)
4. Share on:
- https://reddit.com/r/rust
- https://users.rust-lang.org
- Twitter/X with #rustlang
## ⚠️ Important Notes
- **First publication must be done carefully** - you cannot delete a crate version once published
- **Version numbers are permanent** - you cannot reuse a version number
- **Documentation builds automatically** on docs.rs after publication
- **Downloads count starts immediately** on crates.io
## 🎯 Recommended First Steps
1. **Commit all changes to git**
2. **Push to GitHub**
3. **Wait for CI to pass**
4. **Add CARGO_TOKEN secret**
5. **Create v0.1.0 tag**
6. **Let automation handle publishing**
This ensures maximum safety and follows Rust ecosystem best practices!
