DevOps · Infrastructure as Code (IaC) · Git Series – Part 7

GIT taggingTags are essential for marking release versions, milestones, and important points in your Git history. DevOps teams rely heavily on tags for CI/CD pipelines, versioning artifacts, deployment releases, and rollback management.

In this chapter, you’ll learn:

1. What Is a Git Tag?

A tag is a label that points to a specific commit — usually used for marking a release version.

Examples:

• v1.0.0
• v2.1.3-beta
• release-2025-01-01

Tags do not move like branches. They are fixed.

2. Types of Git Tags

Git supports two types:

1. Lightweight Tag

A simple label pointing to a commit.

• No metadata
• No message
• No tagger info
• Very small, fast

Example use: quick local checkpoints.

2. Annotated Tag (Recommended)

A full tag object that contains:

• Tag message
• Tag author
• Tag date
• GPG signing (optional)

Ideal for:

• Production releases
• Versioning IaC
• CI/CD pipelines
• Software release workflows

3. Creating Tags

Create Lightweight Tag

git tag v1.0.0

Create Annotated Tag (Recommended)

git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release version 1.0.0"

Tag a specific commit

git tag -a v1.0.0 <commit_hash>

Example:

git tag -a v1.0.0 9fceb02 -m "Production release"

4. Listing Tags

git tag

Sort alphabetically:

git tag --sort=refname

Search for pattern:

git tag -l "v1.*"

5. Viewing Tag Details

For annotated tags:

git show v1.0.0

Shows message + metadata + diff.

6. Pushing Tags to Remote

By default, tags are not pushed when you push commits.

Push a single tag:

git push origin v1.0.0

Push all tags:

git push --tags

CI/CD pipelines often depend on tags, so pushing them is crucial.

7. Deleting Tags

Delete Local Tag

git tag -d v1.0.0

Delete Remote Tag

git push origin --delete v1.0.0

or

git push origin :refs/tags/v1.0.0

8. Renaming a Tag

Git has no rename command; you must recreate it.

git tag new-tag old-tag
git tag -d old-tag
git push origin :refs/tags/old-tag
git push origin new-tag

9. Semantic Versioning (SemVer)

Widely used in DevOps releases.

Format:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

Examples:

• 1.0.0 → initial stable release
• 1.1.0 → backward-compatible feature added
• 1.1.1 → patch or bug fix
• 2.0.0 → breaking changes

Pre-release labels:

• 1.0.0-alpha
• 1.0.0-beta
• 1.0.0-rc1

10. How DevOps Pipelines Use Tags

Tags trigger automated workflows in tools such as:

• GitHub Actions
• GitLab CI
• Jenkins
• Azure DevOps
• Ansible Automation Platform
• Argo CD

Common uses:

✔ Triggering production deployments

✔ Packaging releases (Docker, artifacts, ZIPs)

✔ Publishing IaC versions (Terraform, Ansible roles)

✔ Rolling back using previous tags

Example GitHub Actions trigger:

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

11. Hands-On Demo

git init
echo "app v1" > app.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "First stable release"
git show v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

12. Git Tagging Best Practices

✔ Use annotated tags for releases

Lightweight tags are fine for local notes.

✔ Follow semantic versioning

Helps automation and clarity.

✔ Always push tags after release commits

CI/CD pipelines may require them.

✔ Don’t retag different commits

Rewriting tags breaks pipelines.

✔ Maintain consistent naming patterns

Examples:

• v1.2.0
• release-2025-01
• prod-2025.02.12

13. Summary Table – Tag Commands

14. What’s Next?

You now know how to:

✔ Create lightweight & annotated tags
✔ Version releases with semantic versioning
✔ Push & delete tags
✔ Use tags in DevOps pipelines
✔ Follow best release practices

Next chapter:

➡️ Part 8 – Git Stash: Saving Temporary Changes Without Committing
Learn stash list, apply, pop, drop, stash branches, partial stashes, and real DevOps use cases.