How to Add a Latest Release or Tag Badge

shields.io reads GitHub releases and tags directly, so a release badge updates the moment you publish a new release.

Use github/v/release/<owner>/<repo> for the latest published release or github/v/tag/<owner>/<repo> for the latest tag. Both track the repo with no CI wiring required.

Steps

Latest release: img.shields.io/github/v/release/<owner>/<repo>.
Latest tag: img.shields.io/github/v/tag/<owner>/<repo>.
Add ?sort=semver to sort by version instead of date.

README markdown

README.md

[![Release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/acme/widget?sort=semver)](https://github.com/acme/widget/releases/latest)

Gotchas

By default the release badge includes pre-releases; add ?include_prereleases=false semantics via the display_name and filter options if needed.
A repo with tags but no published releases shows nothing on the release route; use the tag route.

Related guides

How to Add npm Version and Downloads BadgesAdd npm version and downloads badges with the shields.io npm/v and npm/dm routes, so the README reflects the… How to Add shields.io Coverage, Version, License, and Downloads BadgesAdd shields.io badges for coverage, package version, license, and downloads using the codecov, npm, and licen… How to Add a Docker Pulls BadgeAdd a Docker Hub pulls badge with the shields.io docker/pulls route so your README shows how many times your…