Free template

Changelog Template

Copy-paste changelog templates in the Keep a Changelog format — plus a filled example and a minimal release-notes variant. Free and ready to drop into your repo.

Keep a Changelog template (CHANGELOG.md)

The standard, comprehensive structure. Drop this into a CHANGELOG.md at your repo root and add a new version block at the top for each release.

CHANGELOG.md

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project are documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

## [1.0.0] - 2026-06-30
### Added
- Initial public release.

### Changed
-

### Deprecated
-

### Removed
-

### Fixed
-

### Security
-

Filled example

What a real version block looks like once you have written it up.

example

## [2.4.0] - 2026-06-30
### Added
- Dark mode across the dashboard.
- API keys for programmatic release-note access.

### Fixed
- Pagination on the repositories list.
- Forked-repository comparison no longer errors.

### Changed
- Faster GitHub commit lookups via caching.

Minimal release-notes variant

A friendlier, user-facing format for a hosted changelog or in-app announcement.

release-notes

## v1.2.0 — 2026-06-30

✨ Features
- Short, benefit-first description of each new feature.

🐛 Fixes
- What was broken and is now fixed.

⚠️ Breaking changes
- What changed and exactly what the reader must do.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best changelog format?+

The most widely used format is Keep a Changelog: a Markdown file ordered newest-first, with each version dated and grouped under Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, and Security. It pairs naturally with Semantic Versioning.

Where should I put my changelog?+

Developers keep a CHANGELOG.md file at the repository root. Many teams also publish a hosted changelog page so users and customers can follow updates without reading the source.

How is a changelog different from release notes?+

A changelog is a comprehensive, terse record of every notable change. Release notes are a curated, reader-friendly summary of one release, written for users rather than developers.

Can I generate a changelog automatically?+

Yes. release-notes.dev generates grouped release notes from your GitHub commits, PRs, and tags with AI, so you can publish a changelog without filling in a template by hand.

Skip the template entirely

Connect GitHub and let release-notes.dev fill in the changelog for you from your commit history. Free to start.