Releases on GitHub package software with release notes and binary file links.  They're based on Git tags, marking a specific repository point; tag and release dates may differ.  Read access allows viewing releases; write access is needed for management.  Release notes can be manually created or auto-generated from templates.  GitHub automatically includes ZIP and tarball downloads.  Admins control Git LFS object inclusion in these archives.  Security vulnerabilities should be addressed with security advisories, triggering Dependabot alerts. The dependency graph's Dependents tab shows affected repositories.  The Releases API provides download count data.