diff --git a/docs/contributor-info/releasing.md b/docs/contributor-info/releasing.md
index 3887d6cb9d..c10a847f54 100644
--- a/docs/contributor-info/releasing.md
+++ b/docs/contributor-info/releasing.md
@@ -1,77 +1,185 @@
 # Install and Release
 
-We're now releasing this as a combined ruby gem plus npm package. We will keep the version numbers in sync.
+We're releasing this as a combined Ruby gem plus two NPM packages. We keep the version numbers in sync across all packages.
 
 ## Testing the Gem before Release from a Rails App
 
 See [Contributing](https://github.com/shakacode/react_on_rails/tree/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
 
-## Releasing a new gem version
+## Releasing a New Version
 
 Run `rake -D release` to see instructions on how to release via the rake task.
 
-As of 01-26-2016, this would give you an output like this:
+### Release Command
 
+```bash
+rake release[gem_version,dry_run]
 ```
-rake release[gem_version,dry_run,tools_install]
-    Releases both the gem and node package using the given version.
 
-    IMPORTANT: the gem version must be in valid rubygem format (no dashes).
-    It will be automatically converted to a valid npm semver by the rake task
-    for the node package version. This only makes a difference for pre-release
-    versions such as `3.0.0.beta.1` (npm version would be `3.0.0-beta.1`).
+**Arguments:**
 
-    This task will also globally install gem-release (ruby gem) and
-    release-it (node package) unless you specify skip installing tools.
+- `gem_version`: The new version in rubygem format (no dashes). Pass no argument to automatically perform a patch version bump.
+- `dry_run`: Optional. Pass `true` to see what would happen without actually releasing.
 
-    2nd argument: Perform a dry run by passing 'true' as a second argument.
-    3rd argument: Skip installing tools by passing 'false' as a third argument (default is true).
+**Example:**
 
-    Example: `rake release[2.1.0,false,false]`
+```bash
+rake release[16.2.0]        # Release version 16.2.0
+rake release[16.2.0,true]   # Dry run to preview changes
+rake release                # Auto-bump patch version
 ```
 
-Running `rake release[2.1.0]` will create a commit that looks like this:
+### What Gets Released
 
+The release task publishes three packages with the same version number:
+
+1. **react-on-rails** NPM package
+2. **react-on-rails-pro** NPM package
+3. **react_on_rails** Ruby gem
+
+### Version Synchronization
+
+The task updates versions in all the following files:
+
+- `lib/react_on_rails/version.rb` (source of truth)
+- `package.json` (root workspace)
+- `packages/react-on-rails/package.json`
+- `packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json` (both version field and react-on-rails dependency)
+- `spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock`
+
+**Note:** The `react-on-rails-pro` package declares an exact version dependency on `react-on-rails` (e.g., `"react-on-rails": "16.2.0"`). This ensures users install compatible versions of both packages.
+
+### Pre-release Versions
+
+For pre-release versions, the gem version format is automatically converted to NPM semver format:
+
+- Gem: `3.0.0.beta.1`
+- NPM: `3.0.0-beta.1`
+
+### Release Process
+
+When you run `rake release[X.Y.Z]`, the task will:
+
+1. Check for uncommitted changes (will abort if found)
+2. Pull latest changes from the remote repository
+3. Clean up example directories
+4. Bump the gem version in `lib/react_on_rails/version.rb`
+5. Update all package.json files with the new version
+6. Update the Pro package's dependency on react-on-rails
+7. Update the dummy app's Gemfile.lock
+8. Commit all version changes with message "Bump version to X.Y.Z"
+9. Create a git tag `vX.Y.Z`
+10. Push commits and tags to the remote repository
+11. Publish `react-on-rails` to NPM (requires 2FA token)
+12. Publish `react-on-rails-pro` to NPM (requires 2FA token)
+13. Publish `react_on_rails` to RubyGems (requires 2FA token)
+
+### Two-Factor Authentication
+
+You'll need to enter OTP tokens when prompted:
+
+- Once for publishing `react-on-rails` to NPM
+- Once for publishing `react-on-rails-pro` to NPM
+- Once for publishing `react_on_rails` to RubyGems
+
+### Post-Release Steps
+
+After a successful release, you'll see instructions to:
+
+1. Update the CHANGELOG.md:
+
+   ```bash
+   bundle exec rake update_changelog
+   ```
+
+2. Update the dummy app's Gemfile.lock:
+
+   ```bash
+   cd spec/dummy && bundle update react_on_rails
+   ```
+
+3. Commit the CHANGELOG and Gemfile.lock:
+   ```bash
+   cd /path/to/react_on_rails
+   git commit -a -m 'Update CHANGELOG.md and spec/dummy Gemfile.lock'
+   git push
+   ```
+
+## Requirements
+
+This task depends on the `gem-release` Ruby gem, which is installed via `bundle install`.
+
+For NPM publishing, you must be logged in to npm and have publish permissions for both packages:
+
+```bash
+npm login
 ```
-commit d07005cde9784c69e41d73fb9a0ebe8922e556b3
-Author: Rob Wise <robert.wise@outlook.com>
-Date:   Tue Jan 26 19:49:14 2016 -0500
 
-    Release 2.1.0
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Dry Run First
+
+Always test with a dry run before actually releasing:
+
+```bash
+rake release[16.2.0,true]
+```
+
+This shows you exactly what would be updated without making any changes.
+
+### If Release Fails
+
+If the release fails partway through (e.g., during NPM publish):
+
+1. Check what was published:
+
+   - NPM: `npm view react-on-rails@X.Y.Z`
+   - RubyGems: `gem list react_on_rails -r -a`
+
+2. If the git tag was created but packages weren't published:
+
+   - Delete the tag: `git tag -d vX.Y.Z && git push origin :vX.Y.Z`
+   - Revert the version commit: `git reset --hard HEAD~1 && git push -f`
+   - Start over with `rake release[X.Y.Z]`
+
+3. If some packages were published but not others:
+   - You can manually publish the missing packages:
+     ```bash
+     cd packages/react-on-rails && yarn publish --new-version X.Y.Z
+     cd ../react-on-rails-pro && yarn publish --new-version X.Y.Z
+     gem release
+     ```
+
+## Version History
+
+Running `rake release[X.Y.Z]` will create a commit that looks like this:
+
+```
+commit abc123...
+Author: Your Name <your.email@example.com>
+Date:   Mon Jan 1 12:00:00 2024 -0500
+
+    Bump version to 16.2.0
 
 diff --git a/lib/react_on_rails/version.rb b/lib/react_on_rails/version.rb
-index 3de9606..b71aa7a 100644
+index 1234567..abcdefg 100644
 --- a/lib/react_on_rails/version.rb
 +++ b/lib/react_on_rails/version.rb
 @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
  module ReactOnRails
--  VERSION = "2.0.2".freeze
-+  VERSION = "2.1.0".freeze
+-  VERSION = "16.1.1"
++  VERSION = "16.2.0"
  end
+
 diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
-index aa7b000..af8761e 100644
+index 2345678..bcdefgh 100644
 --- a/package.json
 +++ b/package.json
 @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
  {
-   "name": "react-on-rails",
--  "version": "2.0.2",
-+  "version": "2.1.0",
-   "description": "react-on-rails JavaScript for react_on_rails Ruby gem",
-   "main": "packages/react-on-rails/lib/ReactOnRails.js",
-   "directories": {
-diff --git a/spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock b/spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock
-index 8ef51df..4489bfe 100644
---- a/spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock
-+++ b/spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock
-@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
- PATH
-   remote: ../..
-   specs:
--    react_on_rails (2.0.2)
-+    react_on_rails (2.1.0)
-       connection_pool
-       execjs (~> 2.5)
-       rails (>= 3.2)
-(END)
+   "name": "react-on-rails-workspace",
+-  "version": "16.1.1",
++  "version": "16.2.0",
+   ...
+}
 ```
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bab36c5cd3..f9392fbf50 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -70,9 +70,6 @@
     "yalc:publish": "yarn workspaces run yalc:publish",
     "yalc": "yarn workspaces run yalc",
     "publish": "yarn workspaces run publish",
-    "release:patch": "yarn workspaces run release:patch",
-    "release:minor": "yarn workspaces run release:minor",
-    "release:major": "yarn workspaces run release:major",
     "postinstall": "test -f .lefthook.yml && test -d .git && command -v bundle >/dev/null 2>&1 && bundle exec lefthook install || true"
   },
   "repository": {
diff --git a/packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json b/packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json
index cbdafc24f2..4378d0c103 100644
--- a/packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json
+++ b/packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
     "./ServerComponentFetchError": "./lib/ServerComponentFetchError.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "react-on-rails": "*"
+    "react-on-rails": "16.1.1"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "react": ">= 16",
diff --git a/packages/react-on-rails/package.json b/packages/react-on-rails/package.json
index a5d31d3543..3f2e2d4824 100644
--- a/packages/react-on-rails/package.json
+++ b/packages/react-on-rails/package.json
@@ -14,10 +14,7 @@
     "prepare": "nps build.prepack",
     "prepublishOnly": "yarn run build",
     "yalc:publish": "yalc publish",
-    "yalc": "yalc",
-    "release:patch": "./scripts/release patch",
-    "release:minor": "./scripts/release minor",
-    "release:major": "./scripts/release major"
+    "yalc": "yalc"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/react-on-rails/scripts/release b/packages/react-on-rails/scripts/release
deleted file mode 100644
index 5cf37bc1f0..0000000000
--- a/packages/react-on-rails/scripts/release
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-yarn version $1 -m "Bump version to %s"
-git push -u origin master
-git push --tags
-yarn publish
diff --git a/rakelib/release.rake b/rakelib/release.rake
index f5c03aeebb..85c7e63a88 100644
--- a/rakelib/release.rake
+++ b/rakelib/release.rake
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
 
 require "bundler"
+require "json"
 require_relative "task_helpers"
 require_relative File.join(gem_root, "lib", "react_on_rails", "version_syntax_converter")
 require_relative File.join(gem_root, "lib", "react_on_rails", "git_utils")
@@ -14,24 +15,29 @@ end
 
 # rubocop:disable Metrics/BlockLength
 
-desc("Releases both the gem and node package using the given version.
+desc("Releases the gem and both NPM packages (react-on-rails and react-on-rails-pro).
 
 IMPORTANT: the gem version must be in valid rubygem format (no dashes).
-It will be automatically converted to a valid yarn semver by the rake task
-for the node package version. This only makes a difference for pre-release
-versions such as `3.0.0.beta.1` (yarn version would be `3.0.0-beta.1`).
+It will be automatically converted to valid npm semver by the rake task
+for the node package versions. This only makes a difference for pre-release
+versions such as `3.0.0.beta.1` (npm version would be `3.0.0-beta.1`).
 
-This task depends on the gem-release (ruby gem) and release-it (node package)
-which are installed via `bundle install` and `yarn global add release-it`
+This task depends on the gem-release ruby gem which is installed via `bundle install`.
 
 1st argument: The new version in rubygem format (no dashes). Pass no argument to
               automatically perform a patch version bump.
 2nd argument: Perform a dry run by passing 'true' as a second argument.
-
-Note, accept defaults for npmjs options. Script will pause to get 2FA tokens.
-
-Example: `rake release[2.1.0,false]`")
-task :release, %i[gem_version dry_run tools_install] do |_t, args|
+3rd argument: Use Verdaccio local registry by passing 'verdaccio' as a third argument.
+              Requires Verdaccio server running on http://localhost:4873/
+4th argument: Skip pushing to remote by passing 'skip_push' as a fourth argument.
+              Useful for testing the release process locally.
+
+Examples:
+  rake release[16.2.0]                          # Release to production
+  rake release[16.2.0,true]                     # Dry run
+  rake release[16.2.0,false,verdaccio]          # Test release to Verdaccio
+  rake release[16.2.0,false,npm,skip_push]      # Release without pushing to remote")
+task :release, %i[gem_version dry_run registry skip_push] do |_t, args|
   include ReactOnRails::TaskHelpers
 
   # Check if there are uncommitted changes
@@ -40,66 +46,197 @@ task :release, %i[gem_version dry_run tools_install] do |_t, args|
 
   is_dry_run = ReactOnRails::Utils.object_to_boolean(args_hash[:dry_run])
 
-  gem_version = args_hash.fetch(:gem_version, "")
+  # Validate registry parameter
+  registry_value = args_hash.fetch(:registry, "")
+  unless registry_value.empty? || registry_value == "verdaccio" || registry_value == "npm"
+    raise ArgumentError,
+          "Invalid registry value '#{registry_value}'. Valid values are: 'verdaccio', 'npm', or empty string"
+  end
+
+  use_verdaccio = registry_value == "verdaccio"
 
-  npm_version = if gem_version.strip.empty?
-                  ""
-                else
-                  ReactOnRails::VersionSyntaxConverter.new.rubygem_to_npm(gem_version)
-                end
+  # Validate skip_push parameter
+  skip_push_value = args_hash.fetch(:skip_push, "")
+  unless skip_push_value.empty? || skip_push_value == "skip_push"
+    raise ArgumentError, "Invalid skip_push value '#{skip_push_value}'. Valid values are: 'skip_push' or empty string"
+  end
+
+  skip_push = skip_push_value == "skip_push"
+
+  gem_version = args_hash.fetch(:gem_version, "")
 
   # Having the examples prevents publishing
   Rake::Task["shakapacker_examples:clobber"].invoke
   # Delete any react_on_rails.gemspec except the root one
   sh_in_dir(gem_root, "find . -mindepth 2 -name 'react_on_rails.gemspec' -delete")
 
-  # See https://github.com/svenfuchs/gem-release
+  # Pull latest changes
   sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git pull --rebase")
+
+  # Bump gem version using gem-release
   sh_in_dir(gem_root, "gem bump --no-commit #{%(--version #{gem_version}) unless gem_version.strip.empty?}")
 
+  # Read the actual version that was set
+  actual_gem_version = begin
+    version_file = File.join(gem_root, "lib", "react_on_rails", "version.rb")
+    version_content = File.read(version_file)
+    version_content.match(/VERSION = "(.+)"/)[1]
+  end
+
+  actual_npm_version = ReactOnRails::VersionSyntaxConverter.new.rubygem_to_npm(actual_gem_version)
+
+  puts "Updating package.json files to version #{actual_npm_version}..."
+
+  # Update all package.json files
+  package_json_files = [
+    File.join(gem_root, "package.json"),
+    File.join(gem_root, "packages", "react-on-rails", "package.json"),
+    File.join(gem_root, "packages", "react-on-rails-pro", "package.json")
+  ]
+
+  package_json_files.each do |file|
+    content = JSON.parse(File.read(file))
+    content["version"] = actual_npm_version
+
+    # For react-on-rails-pro, also update the react-on-rails dependency
+    if file.include?("react-on-rails-pro")
+      content["dependencies"] ||= {}
+      content["dependencies"]["react-on-rails"] = actual_npm_version
+    end
+
+    File.write(file, "#{JSON.pretty_generate(content)}\n")
+    puts "  Updated #{file}"
+  end
+
+  bundle_install_in(gem_root)
   # Update dummy app's Gemfile.lock
   bundle_install_in(dummy_app_dir)
 
-  puts "Carefully add your OTP for NPM. If you get an error, 'git reset --hard' and start over."
-  # Will bump the yarn version, commit, tag the commit, push to repo, and release on yarn
-  release_it_command = +"release-it"
-  release_it_command << " #{npm_version}" unless npm_version.strip.empty?
-  release_it_command << " --npm.publish --no-git.requireCleanWorkingDir"
-  release_it_command << " --dry-run --verbose" if is_dry_run
-  # Disable lefthook pre-commit hooks during release to prevent file modifications
-  sh_in_dir(gem_root, "LEFTHOOK=0 #{release_it_command}")
+  # Prepare NPM registry configuration
+  npm_registry_url = use_verdaccio ? "http://localhost:4873/" : "https://registry.npmjs.org/"
+  npm_publish_args = use_verdaccio ? "--registry #{npm_registry_url}" : ""
+
+  if use_verdaccio
+    puts "\n#{'=' * 80}"
+    puts "VERDACCIO LOCAL REGISTRY MODE"
+    puts "=" * 80
+    puts "\nBefore proceeding, ensure:"
+    puts "  1. Verdaccio server is running on http://localhost:4873/"
+    puts "  2. You are authenticated with Verdaccio:"
+    puts "     npm adduser --registry http://localhost:4873/"
+    puts "\nPress ENTER to continue or Ctrl+C to cancel..."
+    $stdin.gets unless is_dry_run
+  end
 
-  # Commit the Gemfile.lock changes made by release-it before gem release
   unless is_dry_run
-    sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git add Gemfile.lock")
-    # Only commit if there are staged changes
-    if `cd #{gem_root} && git diff --cached --quiet; echo $?`.strip == "0"
-      puts "No Gemfile.lock changes to commit"
+    # Commit all version changes
+    sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git add -A")
+    sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git commit -m 'Bump version to #{actual_gem_version}'")
+
+    # Create git tag
+    sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git tag v#{actual_gem_version}")
+
+    # Push commits and tags
+    unless skip_push
+      sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git push")
+      sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git push --tags")
+    end
+
+    puts "\n#{'=' * 80}"
+    puts "Publishing NPM packages to #{use_verdaccio ? 'Verdaccio (local)' : 'npmjs.org'}..."
+    puts "=" * 80
+
+    # Publish react-on-rails NPM package
+    puts "\nPublishing react-on-rails@#{actual_npm_version}..."
+    puts "Carefully add your OTP for NPM when prompted." unless use_verdaccio
+    sh_in_dir(gem_root, "yarn workspace react-on-rails publish --new-version #{actual_npm_version} #{npm_publish_args}")
+
+    # Publish react-on-rails-pro NPM package
+    puts "\nPublishing react-on-rails-pro@#{actual_npm_version}..."
+    puts "Carefully add your OTP for NPM when prompted." unless use_verdaccio
+    sh_in_dir(gem_root,
+              "yarn workspace react-on-rails-pro publish --new-version #{actual_npm_version} #{npm_publish_args}")
+
+    if use_verdaccio
+      puts "Skipping Ruby gem publication (Verdaccio mode)"
+      puts "=" * 80
     else
-      sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git commit -m 'Update Gemfile.lock for version #{gem_version}'")
+      puts "\n#{'=' * 80}"
+      puts "Publishing Ruby gem..."
+      puts "=" * 80
+
+      # Publish Ruby gem
+      puts "\nCarefully add your OTP for Rubygems when prompted."
+      sh_in_dir(gem_root, "gem release")
     end
   end
 
-  # Release the new gem version
+  npm_registry_note = if use_verdaccio
+                        "Verdaccio (http://localhost:4873/)"
+                      else
+                        "npmjs.org"
+                      end
+
+  if is_dry_run
+    puts "\n#{'=' * 80}"
+    puts "DRY RUN COMPLETE"
+    puts "=" * 80
+    puts "Version would be bumped to: #{actual_gem_version} (gem) / #{actual_npm_version} (npm)"
+    puts "NPM Registry: #{npm_registry_note}"
+    puts "Files that would be updated:"
+    puts "  - lib/react_on_rails/version.rb"
+    puts "  - package.json (root)"
+    puts "  - packages/react-on-rails/package.json"
+    puts "  - packages/react-on-rails-pro/package.json (version + dependency)"
+    puts "  - spec/dummy/Gemfile.lock"
+    registry_arg = use_verdaccio ? ",false,verdaccio" : ""
+    puts "\nTo actually release, run: rake release[#{actual_gem_version}#{registry_arg}]"
+  else
+    msg = <<~MSG
+
+      #{'=' * 80}
+      RELEASE COMPLETE! 🎉
+      #{'=' * 80}
+
+      Published to #{npm_registry_note}:
+        - react-on-rails@#{actual_npm_version}
+        - react-on-rails-pro@#{actual_npm_version}
+    MSG
+
+    msg += "    - react_on_rails #{actual_gem_version} (RubyGems)\n" unless use_verdaccio
+
+    if skip_push
+      msg += <<~SKIP_PUSH
+
+        ⚠️  Git push was skipped. Don't forget to push manually:
+          git push
+          git push --tags
+
+      SKIP_PUSH
+    end
 
-  puts "Carefully add your OTP for Rubygems. If you get an error, run 'gem release' again."
-  sh_in_dir(gem_root, "gem release") unless is_dry_run
+    if use_verdaccio
+      msg += <<~VERDACCIO
 
-  msg = <<~MSG
-    Once you have successfully published, run these commands to update CHANGELOG.md:
+        Verdaccio test packages published successfully!
 
-    bundle exec rake update_changelog
-    cd #{dummy_app_dir}; bundle update react_on_rails
-    cd #{gem_root}
-    git commit -a -m 'Update CHANGELOG.md and spec/dummy Gemfile.lock'
-    git push
-  MSG
-  puts msg
-end
-# rubocop:enable Metrics/BlockLength
+        To test installation:
+          npm install --registry http://localhost:4873/ react-on-rails@#{actual_npm_version}
+          npm install --registry http://localhost:4873/ react-on-rails-pro@#{actual_npm_version}
+
+      VERDACCIO
+    else
+      msg += <<~PRODUCTION
+
+        Next steps:
+          1. Update CHANGELOG.md: bundle exec rake update_changelog
+          3. Commit CHANGELOG: cd #{gem_root} && git commit -a -m 'Update CHANGELOG.md and spec/dummy Gemfile.lock'
+          4. Push changes: git push
 
-task :test do
-  unbundled_sh_in_dir(gem_root, "cd #{dummy_app_dir}; bundle update react_on_rails")
-  sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git commit -a -m 'Update Gemfile.lock for spec app'")
-  sh_in_dir(gem_root, "git push")
+      PRODUCTION
+    end
+
+    puts msg
+  end
 end
+# rubocop:enable Metrics/BlockLength