Merge branch 'alpha' into dependabot/npm_and_yarn/minimist-1.2.6

Author: mtrezza

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 - [Merging](#merging)
   - [Breaking Change](#breaking-change-1)
   - [Reverting](#reverting)
+- [Releasing](#releasing)
+  - [General Considerations](#general-considerations)
   - [Major Release / Long-Term-Support](#major-release--long-term-support)
 - [Versioning](#versioning)
 - [Code of Conduct](#code-of-conduct)
@@ -379,6 +381,12 @@ If the commit reverts a previous commit, use the prefix `revert:`, followed by t
   This reverts commit 1234567890abcdef.
   ```
 
+## Releasing
+
+### General Considerations
+
+- The `package-lock.json` file has to be deleted and recreated by npm from scratch in regular intervals using the `npm i` command. It is not enough to only update the file via automated security pull requests (e.g. dependabot, snyk), that can create inconsistencies between sub-devependencies of a dependency and increase the chances of vulnerabilities. The file should be recreated once every release cycle which is usually monthly.
+
 ### Major Release / Long-Term-Support
 
 Long-Term-Support (LTS) is provided for the previous Parse Server major version. For example, Parse Server 4.x will receive security updates until Parse Server 5.x is superseded by Parse Server 6.x and becomes the new LTS version. While the current major version is published on branch `release`, a LTS version is published on branch `release-#.x.x`, for example `release-4.x.x` for the Parse Server 4.x LTS branch.