feat: add react-markdown dependency and update README with release process

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to Pulse (frontend and product) are documented in this file.
+
+The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/), and Pulse uses [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) with a **0.x.y** version scheme while in initial development. The leading `0` indicates that the public API and behaviour may change until we release **1.0.0**.
+
+## [Unreleased]
+
+- No unreleased changes yet; add items here as you work toward the next release.
+
+## [0.1.0] - 2026-02-09
+
+### Added
+
+- Initial changelog and release process (PULSE-28).
+- Release documentation in `docs/releasing.md` and optional changelog check script.
+
+---
+
+[Unreleased]: https://github.com/ciphera-net/pulse/compare/v0.1.0...HEAD
+[0.1.0]: https://github.com/ciphera-net/pulse/releases/tag/v0.1.0

README.md

@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ npm run build
 npm start
 ```
 
+## Releasing
+
+Changelog and release process (who updates it, when, how to tag, deploy) are documented in [docs/releasing.md](docs/releasing.md). Versions use **0.x.y** while in initial development; the single product changelog is [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).
+
 ## Design System
 
 The frontend follows the Ciphera design language:

app/changelog/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import fs from 'fs'
+import path from 'path'
+import ReactMarkdown from 'react-markdown'
+import type { Metadata } from 'next'
+
+export const metadata: Metadata = {
+  title: 'Changelog - Pulse',
+  description: 'Release history and notable changes for Pulse, privacy-first web analytics.',
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reads CHANGELOG.md from the project root and renders it on the /changelog page.
+ * Content is loaded at build time; redeploy to show new releases.
+ */
+export default function ChangelogPage() {
+  const changelogPath = path.join(process.cwd(), 'CHANGELOG.md')
+  const content = fs.readFileSync(changelogPath, 'utf-8')
+
+  return (
+    <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 sm:px-6 py-8">
+      <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold text-neutral-900 dark:text-white mb-2">
+        Changelog
+      </h1>
+      <p className="text-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-400 mb-8 text-sm">
+        Release history and notable changes. We use{' '}
+        <a
+          href="https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/"
+          target="_blank"
+          rel="noopener noreferrer"
+          className="text-brand-orange hover:underline"
+        >
+          Keep a Changelog
+        </a>{' '}
+        and <strong>0.x.y</strong> versioning while in initial development.
+      </p>
+      <article
+        className="prose prose-neutral dark:prose-invert max-w-none
+          prose-headings:font-semibold prose-headings:tracking-tight
+          prose-a:text-brand-orange prose-a:no-underline hover:prose-a:underline
+          prose-ul:my-4 prose-li:my-0.5"
+      >
+        <ReactMarkdown>{content}</ReactMarkdown>
+      </article>
+    </div>
+  )
+}

components/Footer.tsx

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ const footerLinks = {
     { name: 'Contact', href: 'https://ciphera.net/contact', external: true },
   ],
   resources: [
+    { name: 'Changelog', href: '/changelog', external: false },
     { name: 'Installation', href: '/installation', external: false },
     { name: 'Integrations', href: '/integrations', external: false },
     { name: 'Documentation', href: 'https://docs.ciphera.net', external: true },
@@ -55,6 +56,9 @@ export function Footer({ LinkComponent = Link, appName = 'Pulse', isAuthenticate
               <Component href="/about" className="hover:text-brand-orange transition-colors focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-brand-orange focus:rounded">
                 Why {appName}
               </Component>
+              <Component href="/changelog" className="hover:text-brand-orange transition-colors focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-brand-orange focus:rounded">
+                Changelog
+              </Component>
               <Component href="/pricing" className="hover:text-brand-orange transition-colors focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-brand-orange focus:rounded">
                 Pricing
               </Component>

docs/releasing.md

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# Releasing Pulse
+
+This document describes how to cut a release for Pulse (changelog, tagging, and deploy). It applies to the **pulse-frontend** repo (GitHub: [ciphera-net/pulse](https://github.com/ciphera-net/pulse)). The backend (pulse-backend) can be tagged separately if you version it; the single product changelog lives here.
+
+## Who updates the changelog
+
+The person cutting the release (or the PR author merging the release PR) is responsible for updating `CHANGELOG.md` before the tag is created. No release tag should be pushed without a corresponding changelog entry.
+
+## When to update
+
+- **Before** creating the git tag for the release.
+- Move items from the `[Unreleased]` section into a new version section (e.g. `[0.2.0] - YYYY-MM-DD`), then clear or repopulate `[Unreleased]` as needed.
+- Update the comparison links at the bottom of `CHANGELOG.md` (e.g. add `[0.2.0]: ...` and set `[Unreleased]` to `compare/v0.2.0...HEAD`).
+
+## Version numbering (0.x.y)
+
+While Pulse is in initial development we use **0.x.y**:
+
+- **0** = initial development; we may change behaviour or “API” without a new major version.
+- **x** (minor) = new features or small breaking changes; bump for a release that adds functionality.
+- **y** (patch) = bug fixes only; bump for a release that only fixes bugs.
+
+When we are ready to commit to stability we release **1.0.0** and then follow strict [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
+
+## How to tag a release
+
+1. Ensure `CHANGELOG.md` has an entry for the new version (see **When to update** above).
+2. (Optional) Run the changelog check so the version in the tag matches an entry in the changelog:
+   ```bash
+   ./scripts/check-changelog.sh 0.2.0
+   ```
+3. Commit any changelog (and link) updates, merge to the target branch (usually `main` for production).
+4. Create an annotated tag (use the same version as in the changelog, with a `v` prefix):
+   ```bash
+   git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "Release 0.2.0"
+   git push origin v0.2.0
+   ```
+
+Use the same version number in the tag as in the changelog (e.g. `v0.2.0` ↔ `[0.2.0]`).
+
+## Deploy (staging and production)
+
+- **Staging:** Push to the `staging` branch; Coolify deploys from `staging` to the staging environment.
+- **Production:** Only the `main` branch is deployed to production. Merge `staging` → `main` when ready, then push. Tagging (e.g. `v0.2.0`) is done from `main` after the release commit is merged; Coolify auto-deploys on push to `main`.
+
+So the usual flow is: merge release work (including changelog) to `main`, then create and push the tag from `main`.
+
+## Checklist for each release
+
+- [ ] Changelog updated: new version section with date, and `[Unreleased]` updated.
+- [ ] Bottom-of-file comparison links updated in `CHANGELOG.md`.
+- [ ] (Optional) `./scripts/check-changelog.sh <version>` passes.
+- [ ] Changes merged to `main`.
+- [ ] Tag created and pushed: `git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release X.Y.Z"` then `git push origin vX.Y.Z`.

package.json

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
     "react": "^19.2.3",
     "react-dom": "^19.2.3",
     "react-icons": "^5.5.0",
+    "react-markdown": "^10.1.0",
     "react-simple-maps": "^3.0.0",
     "recharts": "^2.15.0",
     "sonner": "^2.0.7",

scripts/check-changelog.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# * Verifies that CHANGELOG.md has an entry for the given version (e.g. 0.1.0 or v0.1.0).
+# * Use before tagging a release; can be wired into CI.
+# * Usage: ./scripts/check-changelog.sh <version>
+
+set -e
+
+VERSION="${1:-}"
+CHANGELOG="${CHANGELOG:-CHANGELOG.md}"
+
+if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 <version> (e.g. 0.1.0 or v0.1.0)" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Strip leading 'v' if present for consistent matching
+NORMALIZED="${VERSION#v}"
+
+if [ ! -f "$CHANGELOG" ]; then
+  echo "Error: $CHANGELOG not found (run from repo root)" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Keep a Changelog style: ## [1.0.0] or ## [1.0.0] - 2026-02-09
+if grep -qE "^## \[${NORMALIZED}\]" "$CHANGELOG"; then
+  echo "OK: CHANGELOG has an entry for version $NORMALIZED"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Error: CHANGELOG.md has no entry for version $NORMALIZED (expected a line like '## [$NORMALIZED] - YYYY-MM-DD')" >&2
+exit 1