diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 8f2cb51b24..a6b913594e 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -117,6 +117,8 @@ dependencies {
   }
 }
 
+import org.gradle.util.VersionNumber
+
 // set build props
 project.ext {
   timestamp = new Date().format('yyyyMMddHHmmSS')
@@ -131,14 +133,17 @@ project.ext {
     if (buildNumber != null) {
       snapshotVersion += "-${buildNumber}"
     }
-    dockerTag = version.replace('SNAPSHOT', snapshotVersion)
+    dockerTag = project.version.replace('SNAPSHOT', snapshotVersion)
   } else {
     isSnapshot = false
     expandedVersion = project.version
     expandedVersionWithDot = project.version
     dockerRepository = 'docker.io/scmmanager/scm-manager'
-    dockerTag = version.replace('SNAPSHOT', snapshotVersion)
+    dockerTag = project.version
   }
+
+  VersionNumber v = VersionNumber.parse(project.version)
+  nextSnapshotVersion = "${v.major}.${v.minor}.${v.micro + 1}-SNAPSHOT"
 }
 
 publishing {
@@ -162,3 +167,52 @@ publishing {
     }
   }
 }
+
+// release related tasks
+
+task setVersion {
+  doLast {
+    if (!project.hasProperty('newVersion')) {
+      throw new GradleException('usage setVersion -PnewVersion=x.y.z')
+    }
+
+    String version = project.property('newVersion')
+    setNewVersion(version)
+  }
+}
+
+task setVersionToNextSnapshot {
+  doLast {
+    setNewVersion(nextSnapshotVersion)
+  }
+}
+
+task printVersion {
+  doLast {
+    println project.version
+  }
+}
+
+def setNewVersion(String newVersion) {
+  File propertiesFile = new File(project.rootDir, 'gradle.properties')
+
+  if (project.version == newVersion) {
+    println "project uses already version ${newVersion}"
+    return
+  }
+
+  def lines = propertiesFile.readLines('UTF-8')
+  def newLines = lines.collect{ line ->
+    if (line.trim().startsWith('version')) {
+      return "version = ${newVersion}"
+    }
+    return line
+  }
+
+  println "set version from ${project.version} to ${newVersion}"
+  propertiesFile.withWriter('UTF-8') {writer ->
+    newLines.forEach { line ->
+      writer.writeLine(line)
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 212d009095..04e8c2791b 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -21,5 +21,5 @@
 # OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
 # SOFTWARE.
 #
-group=sonia.scm
-version=2.13.0-SNAPSHOT
+group = sonia.scm
+version = 2.13.0-SNAPSHOT
diff --git a/scm-ui/build.gradle b/scm-ui/build.gradle
index 387370d70e..36c043dee7 100644
--- a/scm-ui/build.gradle
+++ b/scm-ui/build.gradle
@@ -170,7 +170,20 @@ task cleanUpAfterPublishing {
 }
 
 task setVersion(type: YarnTask) {
-  args = ['run', 'set-version', project.version]
+  doFirst {
+    if (!project.hasProperty('newVersion')) {
+      throw new GradleException('newVersion properties is required, specify with -PnewVersion=x.y.z')
+    }
+    println "set ui package modules to new version ${project.property('newVersion')}"
+  }
+  if (project.hasProperty('newVersion')) {
+    args = ['run', 'set-version', project.property('newVersion')]
+  }
+  dependsOn('yarn_install')
+}
+
+task setVersionToNextSnapshot(type: YarnTask) {
+  args = ['run', 'set-version', nextSnapshotVersion]
   dependsOn('yarn_install')
 }