First Release Changelog (1.0.0)
Create the initial CHANGELOG.md for your project's first stable release with version 1.0.0 and all foundational features documented.
Versioning
Detailed Explanation
The First Release
Version 1.0.0 marks the first stable release of your project. The changelog for this version is unique because every feature is "new" — there is no previous version to compare against.
Recommended Approach
For a 1.0.0 release, list all significant features and capabilities as feat commits:
feat: implement user authentication system
feat: add REST API with CRUD operations
feat: create admin dashboard
feat(api): add rate limiting and throttling
feat(ui): implement responsive layout
feat(db): add database migrations and seeding
docs: write API documentation
docs: create getting started guide
Generated Output (Keep a Changelog)
# Changelog
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
## [1.0.0] - 2026-02-27
### Added
- implement user authentication system
- add REST API with CRUD operations
- create admin dashboard
- **api:** add rate limiting and throttling
- **ui:** implement responsive layout
- **db:** add database migrations and seeding
### Changed
- write API documentation
- create getting started guide
Things to Consider
- Do not include every commit from development. Summarize at a feature level. Nobody needs to see "fix typo in README" in a 1.0.0 changelog.
- Group related features with scopes to help readers understand the architecture.
- There should be no breaking changes in a 1.0.0 release since there is no prior contract to break.
- Set the date to the actual release date, not the date you started development.
Pre-1.0.0 Development
If you have been tagging pre-releases (0.1.0, 0.2.0, etc.), you may want to include an [Unreleased] section or reference previous pre-release changelogs.
Use Case
For projects reaching their first stable release. The 1.0.0 changelog establishes the baseline feature set and serves as the starting point for all future version comparisons.