| # Release Channels and Publishing | |
| Next.js has two release channels: `stable` and `canary`. | |
| ## Stable | |
| The stable release is what is installed when you `npm install next`. This channel is used by the majority of Next.js users. | |
| This channel is published at a regular cadence and follows [semantic versioning](https://semver.org). | |
| Repository maintainers can publish a new stable version using: `pnpm publish-stable`. | |
| The command will ask what version to publish `major`, `minor`, or `patch`. | |
| ## Canary | |
| The canary channel has to be explicitly installed by users through `npm install next@canary`. | |
| This channel is published early based on the `canary` branch. It holds all changes that are waiting to be published to the stable channel. | |
| `canary` is used to test the latest features and bugfixes on real-world applications. | |
| By installing `next@canary` from time to time you can check if your application is affected by any changes that have not been published yet. | |
| Repository maintainers can publish a new canary version using: `pnpm publish-canary`. | |
| The command will automatically decide the new version tag as it's an increment from the previous version. | |