How to release a build artifact asset on GitHub with a script?

Question

I am trying to figure out a one-command process for generating a build on GitHub.

What I anticipate doing is running some sort of command- make release, say, and the

Answer 1

hub official Go-based GitHub CLI tool

https://github.com/github/hub

First install Go. On Ubuntu: https://askubuntu.com/questions/959932/installation-instructions-for-golang-1-9-into-ubuntu-16-04/1075726#1075726

Then install hub:

go get github.com/github/hub

There is no Ubuntu package: https://github.com/github/hub/issues/718

Then from inside your repo:

hub release create -a prebuilt.zip -m 'release title' tag-name

This:

• prompts for your password the first time, and then automatically creates and stores an API token locally
• creates a non annotated tag on the remote called tag-name
• creates a release associated to that tag
• uploads prebuilt.zip as an attachment

You can also provide your existing API token with the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable.

For other release operations, see:

hub release --help

Tested on hub de684cb613c47572cc9ec90d4fd73eef80aef09c.

Python APIv3 upload example without any external dependencies

Usage:

GITHUB_TOKEN= ./create-release username/reponame  

Script:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import json
import os
import sys

from urllib.parse import urlencode
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen

repo = sys.argv[1]
tag = sys.argv[2]
upload_file = sys.argv[3]

token = os.environ['GITHUB_TOKEN']
url_template = 'https://{}.github.com/repos/' + repo + '/releases'

# Create.
_json = json.loads(urlopen(Request(
    url_template.format('api'),
    json.dumps({
        'tag_name': tag,
        'name': tag,
        'prerelease': True,
    }).encode(),
    headers={
        'Accept': 'application/vnd.github.v3+json',
        'Authorization': 'token ' + token,
    },
)).read().decode())
# This is not the tag, but rather some database integer identifier.
release_id = _json['id']

# Upload.
with open(upload_file, 'br') as myfile:
    content = myfile.read()
_json = json.loads(urlopen(Request(
    url_template.format('uploads') + '/' + str(release_id) + '/assets?' \
      + urlencode({'name': os.path.split(upload_file)[1]}),
    content,
    headers={
        'Accept': 'application/vnd.github.v3+json',
        'Authorization': 'token ' + token,
        'Content-Type': 'application/zip',
    },
)).read().decode())

Both release and asset creation will fail with 422 if they already exist. Work around that by first deleting the release or asset. Here is an example.