please provide a good sample request for creating release work item

Hi @Chang, Linda

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

You can refer below steps to create an Azure devops release pipeline via Rest API:

REST API – Create Release Pipeline (Release Definition)

Endpoint
POST https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/definitions?api-version=7.1-preview.4

Replace:

• {organization} → your Azure DevOps org name
• {project} → your project name

Headers (Postman)
Content-Type: application/json 
Authorization: Basic <BASE64_ENCODED_PAT>

PAT format

username:PAT

Sample Request Body (Minimal Working Release Pipeline)

{
  "name": "Sample-Release-Pipeline",
  "description": "Release pipeline created using REST API",
  "releaseNameFormat": "Release-$(rev:r)",
  "artifacts": [
    {
      "alias": "BuildArtifact",
      "type": "Build",
      "definitionReference": {
        "definition": {
          "id": "12",
          "name": "Sample-Build-Pipeline"
        },
        "project": {
          "id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
          "name": "MyProject"
        }
      },
      "isPrimary": true
    }
  ],
  "environments": [
    {
      "name": "Dev",
      "rank": 1,
      "conditions": [],
      "preDeployApprovals": {
        "approvals": [],
        "approvalOptions": {
          "requiredApproverCount": null,
          "releaseCreatorCanBeApprover": false,
          "autoTriggeredAndPreviousEnvironmentApprovedCanBeSkipped": false
        }
      },
      "deployPhases": [
        {
          "name": "Agent phase",
          "phaseType": "agentBasedDeployment",
          "rank": 1,
          "deploymentInput": {
            "queueId": 1,
            "agentSpecification": {
              "identifier": "windows-latest"
            }
          },
          "workflowTasks": []
        }
      ],
      "environmentOptions": {
        "emailNotificationType": "OnlyOnFailure",
        "emailRecipients": "release.environment.owner"
      }
    }
  ],
  "triggers": [],
  "variables": {
    "Env": {
      "value": "Dev",
      "allowOverride": false
    }
  }
}

Refer: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/devops/release/definitions/create?view=azure-devops-rest-7.1&tabs=HTTP

what I need is the sample request for creating a release item, not but work item.

Below is a concrete HTTP example for creating a work item (for example, a Bug) that can be used as a “release work item” in a given project. Replace placeholders with real values.

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/$Bug?api-version=7.2
Content-Type: application/json-patch+json
Authorization: Bearer {access_token_or_PAT}

[
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Title",
    "from": null,
    "value": "Release 2024.04 – Deployment tracking"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Description",
    "from": null,
    "value": "Work item to track release deployment and validation.\nEnvironment: Production\nBuild: 2024.04.01.1"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority",
    "from": null,
    "value": 1
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Tags",
    "from": null,
    "value": "Release;Production"
  }
]

Key points:

1. URL structure
   • https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/$Bug?api-version=7.2
   • {organization}: Azure DevOps organization name.
   • {project}: Team project where the work item is created.
   • $Bug: Work item type. Use any valid type in the project (for example $Task, $Issue, or a custom type used for releases).
   • api-version=7.2: Explicit API version as required by Azure DevOps REST APIs.
2. HTTP method and headers
   • Method: POST (create resource).
   • Content-Type: application/json-patch+json (required for work item create/update via PATCH document).
   • Authorization: Use a Microsoft Entra access token or a PAT as described in the authentication guidance.
3. Body format (JSON Patch document)
   • The body is an array of operations.
   • Each operation has:
     • op: usually add when creating.
     • path: field reference, for example /fields/System.Title.
     • value: field value.
   • At minimum, provide System.Title. Other fields depend on the process template and rules in the project.
4. Adapting for a “release work item”
   • If the project uses a custom work item type for releases (for example Release), change the URL to:
     • .../workitems/$Release?api-version=7.2
   • Add any required custom fields as additional operations, for example:

[
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Title",
    "value": "Release 2024.04 – Deployment tracking"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/Custom.ReleaseVersion",
    "value": "2024.04"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/Custom.Environment",
    "value": "Production"
  }
]

5. Typical HTTP status codes
   • 200 or 201: Work item created successfully; response body contains the full work item JSON.
   • 400: Invalid field name, missing required field, or invalid value.
   • 401/403: Authentication or permission issue.

This pattern follows the general Azure DevOps REST API request structure and HTTP method usage for creating resources.

References:

• Azure DevOps Services REST API Reference
• Get started with the REST APIs
• REST API samples for Azure DevOps