meta: Add RELEASE.md

RELEASE.md

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+# Rusk Monorepo Release Process
+
+## **1. Branching Strategy**
+
+### `master` Branch
+- **Purpose:** Active development.
+- **Policy:**
+  - All new features behind feature flags.
+  - Merged only after passing CI, integration tests, and approval.
+
+### `devnet` Branch
+- **Purpose:** Weekly snapshots from `master` for early testing.
+- **Policy:** Updated weekly, deploying directly to the Devnet environment.
+
+### Release Branches (`rusk-release-vX.Y`)
+- **Purpose:** Stable releases for mainnet or testnet deployments.
+- **Why We Need It:**
+  - **Hotfix Management:** Allows hotfixes to be applied without branching from tags.
+  - **Long-Term Support:** Enables long-term support and backporting of fixes.
+  - **Clear Release Tracking:** Provides a clear path for version progression.
+
+- **Creation:** Every 1-3 months or as needed.
+- **Hotfixes:** Created directly on the (affected) release branch.
+
+---
+
+## **2. Tagging and Release Strategy**
+
+### Libraries
+- `dusk-abi-vX.Y.Z` (rusk-framework release?)
+- `dusk-core-vX.Y.Z` (rusk-framework release?)
+- `dusk-wallet-core-vX.Y.Z` (rusk-framework release?)
+- `w3sper.js-vX.Y.Z`
+
+### User-Facing Apps
+- `explorer-vX.Y.Z`
+- `rusk-wallet-vX.Y.Z`
+- `web-wallet-vX.Y.Z`
+
+### Blockchain Node
+- `rusk-vX.Y.Z` (node binary release)
+- `rusk-framework-vX.Y.Z` (library releases for components such as ABI, core, wallet-core)
+
+**Example:** `rusk-v1.2.3`
+
+---
+
+## **3. Release Lifecycle**
+
+1. **Day 0:** Create release branch `rusk-release-vX.Y` from `master`.
+2. **Day 1:** Deploy release to **Testnet**.
+3. **Day 7:** Release validated and stabilized in Testnet.
+4. **Day 10:** Finalize integration tests and prepare for mainnet deployment.
+5. **Day 14:** Community announcement and gradual provisioners upgrade.
+6. **Day 16:** Deploy `rusk-vX.Y.Z` to **Mainnet**.
+
+---
+
+## **4. Compatibility and Testing**
+
+### **Testing Phases**
+1. **Unit Tests:** Every PR must pass.
+2. **Integration Tests:** Wallet, SDKs, contracts, circuits.
+3. **Network Tests:** Simulate large-scale node clusters.
+4. **Compatibility Tests:** Ensure backward compatibility with old node versions.
+
+---
+
+## **5. Release Artifacts**
+
+- **Crates.io Packages:** For Rust libraries (`dusk-abi`, `dusk-core`, `dusk-wallet-core`, `rusk-wallet`).
+- **NPM/JSR Packages:** For JavaScript libraries (`w3sper.js`).
+- **Docker Images:** Published for node: default and archive feature.
+- **GitHub Releases:** For `rusk-wallet`, `web-wallet`, `explorer`, `rusk`, and `rusk-framework`.
+- **Svelte Builds:** Uploaded to production servers after integration testing.
+
+---
+
+## **6. Release Documentation**
+
+- **GitHub Release Notes:** Each release includes:
+  - Summary of changes.
+  - Migration steps (if applicable).
+  - Framework upgrade details.
+- **Changelog Management:** Use automated changelog generation from PR labels (`breaking-change`, `enhancement`, `bug-fix`).
+
+---
+
+## **7. Environment Versioning Policy**
+
+- **Local Development:** `X.Y.Z-dev`
+- **Devnet:** `X.Y.Z-rc`
+- **Testnet:** `X.Y.Z-beta`
+- **Mainnet:** `X.Y.Z`