# Comparison with other tools (/js/wp-release/latest/comparison)

## Comparison with existing tools [#comparison-with-existing-tools]

| Tool | What it does | How `wp-release` differs |
|---|---|---|
| [10up WordPress.org plugin deploy](https://github.com/10up/action-wordpress-plugin-deploy) and [readme/asset update](https://github.com/10up/action-wordpress-plugin-asset-update) actions | Two separate GitHub Actions configured through env vars. A deploy always syncs the build to `trunk/` and copies it to the tag; readme and asset updates need the second action. Assets come from `.wordpress-org` by default, and files are selected with `.distignore` or `.gitattributes`. Files are synced with `rsync`. | One `deploy-svn` command with independent write flags, so a release, a readme-only update and an assets-only update are the same command with different flags. Runs locally and in any CI, not only GitHub Actions, and syncs in Node.js without `rsync`. Checks that the `Version` header, readme `Stable tag` and SVN tag agree before writing, which the 10up actions don't. Assets are deployed only when `--assets-dir` is passed, instead of always syncing `.wordpress-org` when it exists, so a plugin's own `assets/` folder is never uploaded by accident. Adds `--exclude` for patterns without an ignore file, opt-in Git `export-ignore` support and `--from-zip` to deploy the exact files of a ZIP. |
| [`grunt-wp-deploy`](https://github.com/stephenharris/grunt-wp-deploy) | Grunt task with `deploy_trunk` and `deploy_tag` booleans, interactive password prompts and a `Stable tag` check. | No Grunt dependency and never interactive. `--readme-only` is a separate flag, where `grunt-wp-deploy` can only update trunk with the full build. Assets are independent of trunk writes. |
| [codeinwp theme deploy](https://github.com/codeinwp/action-wordpress-theme-deploy) | Fork of the 10up plugin action that commits themes to the themes SVN repository. | Doesn't deploy themes. Theme releases are ZIP uploads on WordPress.org; `zip` builds the upload with the theme folder as the root. |
| [`wp dist-archive`](https://github.com/wp-cli/dist-archive-command) | WP-CLI command that zips a project using `.distignore`, with `--plugin-dirname` and `--filename-format`. | Same `.distignore` file and `{name}.{version}` style filename format, but needs only Node.js instead of PHP and WP-CLI. `.distignore` is matched with full gitignore syntax, including `!` negation, and `--distignore` / `--exclude` let you point at another ignore file or add patterns on the command line. Builds are reproducible, and `--checksums` writes a manifest next to the ZIP. |
| [`wp i18n make-pot`](https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/i18n/make-pot/) | WP-CLI command that extracts PHP, JavaScript, `block.json` and `theme.json` strings into a POT, with `--domain`, `--include`/`--exclude`, `--headers`, `--file-comment`, `--merge`/`--subtract` and audit warnings. | `i18n-pot` and `i18n-audit` need only Node.js, write byte-for-byte reproducible POTs without dates, and `--check` fails CI on a stale POT. Headers are set one at a time with a repeatable `--header NAME=VALUE` instead of a JSON object, and `--include`/`--exclude` take one glob each, so patterns never need escaping or comma splitting. `--no-references` and `--all-domains` say what they do. Monorepos keep these settings once in `wp-release.config.js` and select packages with `--package` or `--all` instead of running the command for every directory. The audit is a separate read-only command with stable finding codes for `--suppress`, instead of warnings mixed into generation. There's no `--merge`, `--subtract` or `--skip-*`; `--include` and `--exclude` cover the same needs. |
| [`wp i18n make-mo`, `make-json` and `make-php`](https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/i18n/) | WP-CLI commands that compile PO files into MO, script JSON and `.l10n.php` files. `make-json` maps sources with `--use-map` and removes JavaScript strings from the PO unless `--no-purge` is passed. | `i18n-mo`, `i18n-json` and `i18n-php` compile one translated PO at a time, never change it, and leave out fuzzy, obsolete and untranslated entries. `i18n-json` takes a many-to-many `--map` from source files to built scripts, and JSX and TypeScript sources need one, so catalogs are never written for files WordPress doesn't load. `--check` compares the outputs without writing. There's no `update-po`, so update PO files from the POT with gettext's `msgmerge` or a translation platform. |
| [`wp plugin verify-checksums`](https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/plugin/verify-checksums/) | WP-CLI command that checks installed plugins against the WordPress.org checksums API. | Reads the same manifest format, but from a file, so it also works for plugins and themes that aren't hosted on WordPress.org and for build directories in CI. `checksums` writes the manifest that WordPress.org generates for its own plugins. |
| [`wp-scripts plugin-zip`](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/tree/trunk/packages/scripts#plugin-zip) | Zips files from `package.json` `files` or a fixed allowlist, named after the npm package, with `--root-folder` / `--no-root-folder`. | Reuses the root folder flags, selects files with `.distignore` by default and can optionally honor Git `export-ignore` attributes, puts the version from the plugin headers in the filename and streams the archive instead of building it in memory. |