A Release is simply an arbitrary file or folder stored on a decentralized storage network that is tagged as a version under a Project.
A Release contains:
A reference to metadata stored in a decentralized network
A reference to the file or folder associated with the release
The Valist frontend and SDKs will handle keeping track of the relevant metadata that enables things like multi-platform builds, decentralized web applications, Software Licenses, and more.
You should always be able to download the Release from the network given an account/project/version
The metadata for a Release complies with common NFT metadata structure so it can easily be rendered on NFT galleries and in wallets.
You can view the smart contract implementation here.