A changelog exists so users and internal teams don't have to guess whether something changed or dig through commit history to find out. Good changelogs are grouped by type (Added, Fixed, Changed, Removed), written in plain language instead of ticket numbers, and published the same day as the release — a changelog that lags the release by two weeks stops being trusted. For product changes with a visual component, pairing the changelog entry with a short before/after guide clears up ambiguity a one-line note can't.
Glossary
What is a Changelog?
A changelog is a running, dated record of what changed in a product or process release over release — bug fixes, new features, breaking changes.
01
Changelog format that people actually read
Group entries by Added, Fixed, Changed, and Removed. Lead each line with the user-facing impact, not the internal ticket number. Skip entries nobody outside your team cares about.
02
Changelog vs release notes
They're often used interchangeably. If there's a distinction in your org, a changelog tends to be the terse, chronological log; release notes are the more narrative, marketing-adjacent version of the same information.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How often should we publish a changelog?+
Every release, even small ones. A changelog that only covers "big" releases trains users to stop checking it.
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