diff --git a/.changeset/cold-houses-type.md b/.changeset/cold-houses-type.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..05155c96c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/cold-houses-type.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+Introduces a new `--release` parameter to the `backstage-cli versions:bump` command.
+The release can be either a specific version, for example `0.99.1`, or the latest `main` or `next` release.
+The default behavior is to bump to the latest `main` release.
diff --git a/.changeset/green-peaches-explode.md b/.changeset/green-peaches-explode.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cfebebffc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/green-peaches-explode.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@backstage/release-manifests': patch
+---
+
+Introduces a new package with utilities for fetching release manifests.
+This package will primarily be used by the `@backstage/cli` package.
diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index 2724870aa9..4f1eccc3a0 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
     "@backstage/config": "^0.1.13",
     "@backstage/config-loader": "^0.9.3",
     "@backstage/errors": "^0.2.0",
+    "@backstage/release-manifests": "^0.0.0",
     "@backstage/types": "^0.1.1",
     "@hot-loader/react-dom": "^16.13.0",
     "@manypkg/get-packages": "^1.1.3",
@@ -143,7 +144,8 @@
     "del": "^6.0.0",
     "mock-fs": "^5.1.0",
     "nodemon": "^2.0.2",
-    "ts-node": "^10.0.0"
+    "ts-node": "^10.0.0",
+    "msw": "^0.35.0"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "@microsoft/api-extractor": "^7.19.2"
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
index 2211af1dda..770d216ba2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
@@ -341,6 +341,11 @@ export function registerCommands(program: CommanderStatic) {
       '--pattern <glob>',
       'Override glob for matching packages to upgrade',
     )
+    .option(
+      '--release <version|next|main>',
+      'Bump to a specific Backstage release line or version',
+      'main',
+    )
     .description('Bump Backstage packages to the latest versions')
     .action(lazy(() => import('./versions/bump').then(m => m.default)));
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.test.ts
index ae1a4c4627..d2d3cf1573 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.test.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,14 @@ import { Command } from 'commander';
 import { resolve as resolvePath } from 'path';
 import { paths } from '../../lib/paths';
 import * as runObj from '../../lib/run';
-import bump, { bumpBackstageJsonVersion } from './bump';
-import { withLogCollector } from '@backstage/test-utils';
+import bump, { bumpBackstageJsonVersion, createVersionFinder } from './bump';
+import {
+  setupRequestMockHandlers,
+  withLogCollector,
+} from '@backstage/test-utils';
+import { YarnInfoInspectData } from '../../lib/versioning/packages';
+import { setupServer } from 'msw/node';
+import { rest } from 'msw';
 
 // Remove log coloring to simplify log matching
 jest.mock('chalk', () => ({
@@ -38,6 +44,7 @@ const REGISTRY_VERSIONS: { [name: string]: string } = {
   '@backstage/theme': '2.0.0',
   '@backstage-extra/custom': '1.1.0',
   '@backstage-extra/custom-two': '2.0.0',
+  '@backstage/create-app': '1.0.0',
 };
 
 const HEADER = `# THIS IS AN AUTOGENERATED FILE. DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE DIRECTLY.
@@ -82,6 +89,8 @@ describe('bump', () => {
     mockFs.restore();
     jest.resetAllMocks();
   });
+  const worker = setupServer();
+  setupRequestMockHandlers(worker);
 
   it('should bump backstage dependencies', async () => {
     mockFs({
@@ -121,9 +130,20 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       }),
     );
     jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get(
+        'https://versions.backstage.io/v1/tags/main/manifest.json',
+        (_, res, ctx) =>
+          res(
+            ctx.status(200),
+            ctx.json({
+              packages: [],
+            }),
+          ),
+      ),
+    );
     const { log: logs } = await withLogCollector(['log'], async () => {
-      await bump({ pattern: null } as unknown as Command);
+      await bump({ pattern: null, release: 'main' } as unknown as Command);
     });
     expect(logs.filter(Boolean)).toEqual([
       'Using default pattern glob @backstage/*',
@@ -142,7 +162,7 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       'Version bump complete!',
     ]);
 
-    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
+    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
     expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       'yarn',
       'info',
@@ -179,6 +199,225 @@ describe('bump', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('should prefer dependency versions from release manifest', async () => {
+    mockFs({
+      '/yarn.lock': lockfileMock,
+      '/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        workspaces: {
+          packages: ['packages/*'],
+        },
+      }),
+      '/packages/a/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        name: 'a',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@backstage/core': '^1.0.5',
+        },
+      }),
+      '/packages/b/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        name: 'b',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@backstage/core': '^1.0.3',
+          '@backstage/theme': '^1.0.0',
+        },
+      }),
+    });
+
+    jest
+      .spyOn(paths, 'resolveTargetRoot')
+      .mockImplementation((...path) => resolvePath('/', ...path));
+    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'runPlain').mockImplementation(async (...[, , , name]) =>
+      JSON.stringify({
+        type: 'inspect',
+        data: {
+          name: name,
+          'dist-tags': {
+            latest: REGISTRY_VERSIONS[name],
+          },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get(
+        'https://versions.backstage.io/v1/tags/main/manifest.json',
+        (_, res, ctx) =>
+          res(
+            ctx.status(200),
+            ctx.json({
+              releaseVersion: '0.0.1',
+              packages: [
+                {
+                  name: '@backstage/theme',
+                  version: '5.0.0',
+                },
+                {
+                  name: '@backstage/create-app',
+                  version: '3.0.0',
+                },
+              ],
+            }),
+          ),
+      ),
+    );
+    const { log: logs } = await withLogCollector(['log'], async () => {
+      await bump({ pattern: null, release: 'main' } as unknown as Command);
+    });
+    expect(logs.filter(Boolean)).toEqual([
+      'Using default pattern glob @backstage/*',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/core',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/theme',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/theme',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/core-api',
+      'Some packages are outdated, updating',
+      'unlocking @backstage/core@^1.0.3 ~> 1.0.6',
+      'unlocking @backstage/core-api@^1.0.6 ~> 1.0.7',
+      'unlocking @backstage/core-api@^1.0.3 ~> 1.0.7',
+      'bumping @backstage/theme in b to ^5.0.0',
+      'Creating backstage.json',
+      'Running yarn install to install new versions',
+      '⚠️  The following packages may have breaking changes:',
+      '  @backstage/theme : 1.0.0 ~> 5.0.0',
+      '    https://github.com/backstage/backstage/blob/master/packages/theme/CHANGELOG.md',
+      'Version bump complete!',
+    ]);
+
+    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'yarn',
+      'info',
+      '--json',
+      '@backstage/core',
+    );
+    expect(runObj.runPlain).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'yarn',
+      'info',
+      '--json',
+      '@backstage/theme',
+    );
+
+    expect(runObj.run).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(runObj.run).toHaveBeenCalledWith('yarn', ['install']);
+
+    const lockfileContents = await fs.readFile('/yarn.lock', 'utf8');
+    expect(lockfileContents).toBe(lockfileMockResult);
+
+    const packageA = await fs.readJson('/packages/a/package.json');
+    expect(packageA).toEqual({
+      name: 'a',
+      dependencies: {
+        '@backstage/core': '^1.0.5', // not bumped since new version is within range
+      },
+    });
+    const packageB = await fs.readJson('/packages/b/package.json');
+    expect(packageB).toEqual({
+      name: 'b',
+      dependencies: {
+        '@backstage/core': '^1.0.3', // not bumped
+        '@backstage/theme': '^5.0.0', // bumped since newer
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should only bump packages in the manifest when a specific release is specified', async () => {
+    mockFs({
+      '/yarn.lock': lockfileMock,
+      '/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        workspaces: {
+          packages: ['packages/*'],
+        },
+      }),
+      '/packages/a/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        name: 'a',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@backstage/core': '^1.0.5',
+        },
+      }),
+      '/packages/b/package.json': JSON.stringify({
+        name: 'b',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@backstage/core': '^1.0.3',
+          '@backstage/theme': '^1.0.0',
+        },
+      }),
+    });
+    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'runPlain').mockImplementation(async (...[, , , name]) =>
+      JSON.stringify({
+        type: 'inspect',
+        data: {
+          name: name,
+          'dist-tags': {
+            latest: REGISTRY_VERSIONS[name],
+          },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+    jest
+      .spyOn(paths, 'resolveTargetRoot')
+      .mockImplementation((...path) => resolvePath('/', ...path));
+
+    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get(
+        'https://versions.backstage.io/v1/releases/1.0.0/manifest.json',
+        (_, res, ctx) =>
+          res(
+            ctx.status(200),
+            ctx.json({
+              releaseVersion: '2.0.0',
+              packages: [
+                { name: '@backstage/core', version: '5.0.0' },
+                { name: '@backstage/core-api', version: '5.0.0' },
+              ],
+            }),
+          ),
+      ),
+    );
+    const { log: logs } = await withLogCollector(['log'], async () => {
+      await expect(
+        bump({ pattern: null, release: '1.0.0' } as unknown as Command),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Duplicate versions present after package bump');
+    });
+    expect(logs.filter(Boolean)).toEqual([
+      'Using default pattern glob @backstage/*',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/core',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/theme',
+      'Package info not found, ignoring package @backstage/theme',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/core',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/theme',
+      'Checking for updates of @backstage/core-api',
+      'Package info not found, ignoring package @backstage/theme',
+      'Some packages are outdated, updating',
+      'bumping @backstage/core in a to ^5.0.0',
+      'bumping @backstage/core in b to ^5.0.0',
+      'Creating backstage.json',
+      'Running yarn install to install new versions',
+      '⚠️  The following packages may have breaking changes:',
+      '  @backstage/core : 1.0.3 ~> 5.0.0',
+      '    https://github.com/backstage/backstage/blob/master/packages/core/CHANGELOG.md',
+      'Version bump complete!',
+    ]);
+
+    expect(runObj.run).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(runObj.run).toHaveBeenCalledWith('yarn', ['install']);
+
+    const packageA = await fs.readJson('/packages/a/package.json');
+    expect(packageA).toEqual({
+      name: 'a',
+      dependencies: {
+        '@backstage/core': '^5.0.0',
+      },
+    });
+    const packageB = await fs.readJson('/packages/b/package.json');
+    expect(packageB).toEqual({
+      name: 'b',
+      dependencies: {
+        '@backstage/core': '^5.0.0',
+        '@backstage/theme': '^1.0.0',
+      },
+    });
+    expect(await fs.readJson('/backstage.json')).toEqual({ version: '2.0.0' });
+  });
+
   it('should bump backstage dependencies and dependencies matching pattern glob', async () => {
     const customLockfileMock = `${lockfileMock}
 "@backstage-extra/custom@^1.1.0":
@@ -246,9 +485,23 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       }),
     );
     jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get(
+        'https://versions.backstage.io/v1/tags/main/manifest.json',
+        (_, res, ctx) =>
+          res(
+            ctx.status(200),
+            ctx.json({
+              packages: [],
+            }),
+          ),
+      ),
+    );
     const { log: logs } = await withLogCollector(['log'], async () => {
-      await bump({ pattern: '@{backstage,backstage-extra}/*' } as any);
+      await bump({
+        pattern: '@{backstage,backstage-extra}/*',
+        release: 'main',
+      } as any);
     });
     expect(logs.filter(Boolean)).toEqual([
       'Using custom pattern glob @{backstage,backstage-extra}/*',
@@ -265,6 +518,7 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       'bumping @backstage-extra/custom-two in a to ^2.0.0',
       'bumping @backstage-extra/custom-two in b to ^2.0.0',
       'bumping @backstage/theme in b to ^2.0.0',
+      'Skipping backstage.json update as custom pattern is used',
       'Running yarn install to install new versions',
       '⚠️  The following packages may have breaking changes:',
       '  @backstage-extra/custom-two : 1.0.0 ~> 2.0.0',
@@ -273,7 +527,7 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       'Version bump complete!',
     ]);
 
-    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(6);
+    expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(5);
     expect(runObj.runPlain).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       'yarn',
       'info',
@@ -342,9 +596,20 @@ describe('bump', () => {
       .mockImplementation((...path) => resolvePath('/', ...path));
     jest.spyOn(runObj, 'runPlain').mockImplementation(async () => '');
     jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get(
+        'https://versions.backstage.io/v1/tags/main/manifest.json',
+        (_, res, ctx) =>
+          res(
+            ctx.status(200),
+            ctx.json({
+              packages: [],
+            }),
+          ),
+      ),
+    );
     const { log: logs } = await withLogCollector(['log'], async () => {
-      await bump({ pattern: null } as unknown as Command);
+      await bump({ pattern: null, release: 'main' } as unknown as Command);
     });
     expect(logs.filter(Boolean)).toEqual([
       'Using default pattern glob @backstage/*',
@@ -393,27 +658,12 @@ describe('bumpBackstageJsonVersion', () => {
       '/backstage.json': JSON.stringify({ version: '0.0.1' }),
     });
     paths.targetDir = '/';
-    const latest = '1.4.1';
     jest
       .spyOn(paths, 'resolveTargetRoot')
       .mockImplementation((...path) => resolvePath('/', ...path));
-    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'runPlain').mockImplementation(async (...[, , , name]) =>
-      JSON.stringify({
-        type: 'inspect',
-        data: {
-          name,
-          'dist-tags': {
-            latest,
-          },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
 
-    await bumpBackstageJsonVersion();
-
-    const json = await fs.readJson('/backstage.json');
-    expect(json).toEqual({ version: '1.4.1' });
+    await bumpBackstageJsonVersion('1.4.1');
+    expect(await fs.readJson('/backstage.json')).toEqual({ version: '1.4.1' });
   });
 
   it("should create backstage.json if doesn't exist", async () => {
@@ -423,22 +673,100 @@ describe('bumpBackstageJsonVersion', () => {
     jest
       .spyOn(paths, 'resolveTargetRoot')
       .mockImplementation((...path) => resolvePath('/', ...path));
-    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'runPlain').mockImplementation(async (...[, , , name]) =>
-      JSON.stringify({
-        type: 'inspect',
-        data: {
-          name,
-          'dist-tags': {
-            latest,
-          },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    jest.spyOn(runObj, 'run').mockResolvedValue(undefined);
 
-    await bumpBackstageJsonVersion();
-
-    const json = await fs.readJson('/backstage.json');
-    expect(json).toEqual({ version: '1.4.1' });
+    await bumpBackstageJsonVersion(latest);
+    expect(await fs.readJson('/backstage.json')).toEqual({ version: latest });
+  });
+});
+
+describe('createVersionFinder', () => {
+  async function findVersion(tag: string, data: Partial<YarnInfoInspectData>) {
+    const fetcher = () =>
+      Promise.resolve({
+        name: '@backstage/core',
+        'dist-tags': {},
+        versions: [],
+        time: {},
+        ...data,
+      });
+
+    const versionFinder = createVersionFinder({
+      releaseLine: tag,
+      packageInfoFetcher: fetcher,
+    });
+    let result;
+    await withLogCollector(async () => {
+      result = await versionFinder('@backstage/core');
+    });
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  it('should create version finder', async () => {
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('latest', {
+        time: { '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z' },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe('1.0.0');
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('main', {
+        time: { '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z' },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe('1.0.0');
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('next', {
+        time: { '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z' },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe('1.0.0');
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('next', {
+        time: {
+          '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          '0.9.0': '2010-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+        },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0', next: '0.9.0' },
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe('1.0.0');
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('next', {
+        time: {
+          '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          '0.9.0': '2020-02-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+        },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0', next: '0.9.0' },
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe('0.9.0');
+
+    await expect(findVersion('next', {})).rejects.toThrow(
+      "No target 'latest' version found for @backstage/core",
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('next', {
+        time: {
+          '0.9.0': '2020-02-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+        },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0', next: '0.9.0' },
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(
+      "No time available for version '1.0.0' of @backstage/core",
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      findVersion('next', {
+        time: {
+          '1.0.0': '2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+        },
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0', next: '0.9.0' },
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(
+      "No time available for version '0.9.0' of @backstage/core",
+    );
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.ts
index 0d7c1cdfae..fc455b9fbd 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/versions/bump.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import chalk from 'chalk';
 import semver from 'semver';
 import minimatch from 'minimatch';
 import { Command } from 'commander';
-import { isError } from '@backstage/errors';
+import { isError, NotFoundError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { resolve as resolvePath } from 'path';
 import { run } from '../../lib/run';
 import { paths } from '../../lib/paths';
@@ -27,10 +27,16 @@ import {
   mapDependencies,
   fetchPackageInfo,
   Lockfile,
+  YarnInfoInspectData,
 } from '../../lib/versioning';
 import { forbiddenDuplicatesFilter } from './lint';
 import { BACKSTAGE_JSON } from '@backstage/cli-common';
 import { runParallelWorkers } from '../../lib/parallel';
+import {
+  getManifestByReleaseLine,
+  getManifestByVersion,
+  ReleaseManifest,
+} from '@backstage/release-manifests';
 
 const DEP_TYPES = [
   'dependencies',
@@ -60,7 +66,22 @@ export default async (cmd: Command) => {
     console.log(`Using custom pattern glob ${pattern}`);
   }
 
-  const findTargetVersion = createVersionFinder();
+  let findTargetVersion: (name: string) => Promise<string>;
+  let releaseManifest: ReleaseManifest;
+  if (semver.valid(cmd.release)) {
+    releaseManifest = await getManifestByVersion({ version: cmd.release });
+    findTargetVersion = createStrictVersionFinder({
+      releaseManifest,
+    });
+  } else {
+    releaseManifest = await getManifestByReleaseLine({
+      releaseLine: cmd.release,
+    });
+    findTargetVersion = createVersionFinder({
+      releaseLine: cmd.releaseLine,
+      releaseManifest,
+    });
+  }
 
   // First we discover all Backstage dependencies within our own repo
   const dependencyMap = await mapDependencies(paths.targetDir, pattern);
@@ -213,8 +234,16 @@ export default async (cmd: Command) => {
 
     console.log();
 
-    await bumpBackstageJsonVersion();
-
+    // Do not update backstage.json when upgrade patterns are used.
+    if (pattern === DEFAULT_PATTERN_GLOB) {
+      await bumpBackstageJsonVersion(releaseManifest.releaseVersion);
+    } else {
+      console.log(
+        chalk.yellow(
+          `Skipping backstage.json update as custom pattern is used`,
+        ),
+      );
+    }
     console.log();
     console.log(
       `Running ${chalk.blue('yarn install')} to install new versions`,
@@ -284,9 +313,38 @@ export default async (cmd: Command) => {
   }
 };
 
-function createVersionFinder() {
-  const found = new Map<string, string>();
+export function createStrictVersionFinder(options: {
+  releaseManifest: ReleaseManifest;
+}) {
+  const releasePackages = new Map(
+    options.releaseManifest.packages.map(p => [p.name, p.version]),
+  );
+  return async function findTargetVersion(name: string) {
+    console.log(`Checking for updates of ${name}`);
+    const manifestVersion = releasePackages.get(name);
+    if (manifestVersion) {
+      return manifestVersion;
+    }
+    throw new NotFoundError(`Package ${name} not found in release manifest`);
+  };
+}
 
+export function createVersionFinder(options: {
+  releaseLine?: string;
+  packageInfoFetcher?: () => Promise<YarnInfoInspectData>;
+  releaseManifest?: ReleaseManifest;
+}) {
+  const {
+    releaseLine = 'latest',
+    packageInfoFetcher = fetchPackageInfo,
+    releaseManifest,
+  } = options;
+  // The main release line is just an alias for latest
+  const distTag = releaseLine === 'main' ? 'latest' : releaseLine;
+  const found = new Map<string, string>();
+  const releasePackages = new Map(
+    releaseManifest?.packages.map(p => [p.name, p.version]),
+  );
   return async function findTargetVersion(name: string) {
     const existing = found.get(name);
     if (existing) {
@@ -294,17 +352,50 @@ function createVersionFinder() {
     }
 
     console.log(`Checking for updates of ${name}`);
-    const info = await fetchPackageInfo(name);
-    const latest = info['dist-tags'].latest;
-    if (!latest) {
-      throw new Error(`No latest version found for ${name}`);
+    const manifestVersion = releasePackages.get(name);
+    if (manifestVersion) {
+      return manifestVersion;
     }
-    found.set(name, latest);
-    return latest;
+
+    const info = await packageInfoFetcher(name);
+    const latestVersion = info['dist-tags'].latest;
+    if (!latestVersion) {
+      throw new Error(`No target 'latest' version found for ${name}`);
+    }
+
+    const taggedVersion = info['dist-tags'][distTag];
+    if (distTag === 'latest' || !taggedVersion) {
+      found.set(name, latestVersion);
+      return latestVersion;
+    }
+
+    const latestVersionDateStr = info.time[latestVersion];
+    const taggedVersionDateStr = info.time[taggedVersion];
+    if (!latestVersionDateStr) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `No time available for version '${latestVersion}' of ${name}`,
+      );
+    }
+    if (!taggedVersionDateStr) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `No time available for version '${taggedVersion}' of ${name}`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    const latestVersionRelease = new Date(latestVersionDateStr).getTime();
+    const taggedVersionRelease = new Date(taggedVersionDateStr).getTime();
+    if (latestVersionRelease > taggedVersionRelease) {
+      // Prefer latest version if it's newer.
+      found.set(name, latestVersion);
+      return latestVersion;
+    }
+
+    found.set(name, taggedVersion);
+    return taggedVersion;
   };
 }
 
-export async function bumpBackstageJsonVersion() {
+export async function bumpBackstageJsonVersion(version: string) {
   const backstageJsonPath = paths.resolveTargetRoot(BACKSTAGE_JSON);
   const backstageJson = await fs.readJSON(backstageJsonPath).catch(e => {
     if (e.code === 'ENOENT') {
@@ -314,10 +405,7 @@ export async function bumpBackstageJsonVersion() {
     throw e;
   });
 
-  const info = await fetchPackageInfo('@backstage/create-app');
-  const { latest } = info['dist-tags'];
-
-  if (backstageJson?.version === latest) {
+  if (backstageJson?.version === version) {
     return;
   }
 
@@ -331,7 +419,7 @@ export async function bumpBackstageJsonVersion() {
 
   await fs.writeJson(
     backstageJsonPath,
-    { ...backstageJson, version: latest },
+    { ...backstageJson, version },
     {
       spaces: 2,
       encoding: 'utf8',
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/versioning/packages.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/versioning/packages.ts
index 1dabec6032..9f2f2bdc65 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/versioning/packages.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/versioning/packages.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const DEP_TYPES = [
 // Package data as returned by `yarn info`
 export type YarnInfoInspectData = {
   name: string;
-  'dist-tags': { latest: string };
+  'dist-tags': Record<string, string>;
   versions: string[];
   time: { [version: string]: string };
 };
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/.eslintrc.js b/packages/release-manifests/.eslintrc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..16a033dbc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/.eslintrc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+module.exports = {
+  extends: [require.resolve('@backstage/cli/config/eslint.backend')],
+};
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/release-manifests/CHANGELOG.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3aac6c8e6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# @backstage/release-manifests
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/README.md b/packages/release-manifests/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6111173f15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# @backstage/release-manifests
+
+This package provides a mapping between a Backstage release and the packages included in that release.
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/api-report.md b/packages/release-manifests/api-report.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1ffa35838b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/api-report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+## API Report File for "@backstage/release-manifests"
+
+> Do not edit this file. It is a report generated by [API Extractor](https://api-extractor.com/).
+
+```ts
+// @public
+export function getManifestByReleaseLine(
+  options: GetManifestByReleaseLineOptions,
+): Promise<ReleaseManifest>;
+
+// @public
+export type GetManifestByReleaseLineOptions = {
+  releaseLine: string;
+};
+
+// @public
+export function getManifestByVersion(
+  options: GetManifestByVersionOptions,
+): Promise<ReleaseManifest>;
+
+// @public
+export type GetManifestByVersionOptions = {
+  version: string;
+};
+
+// @public
+export type ReleaseManifest = {
+  releaseVersion: string;
+  packages: {
+    name: string;
+    version: string;
+  }[];
+};
+```
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/package.json b/packages/release-manifests/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..405896f50b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+{
+  "name": "@backstage/release-manifests",
+  "description": "Helper library for receiving release manifests",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "private": false,
+  "main": "src/index.ts",
+  "types": "src/index.ts",
+  "publishConfig": {
+    "access": "public",
+    "main": "dist/index.cjs.js",
+    "module": "dist/index.esm.js",
+    "types": "dist/index.d.ts"
+  },
+  "homepage": "https://backstage.io",
+  "repository": {
+    "type": "git",
+    "url": "https://github.com/backstage/backstage",
+    "directory": "packages/release-manifests"
+  },
+  "keywords": [
+    "backstage"
+  ],
+  "license": "Apache-2.0",
+  "scripts": {
+    "build": "backstage-cli build",
+    "lint": "backstage-cli lint",
+    "test": "backstage-cli test",
+    "prepack": "backstage-cli prepack",
+    "postpack": "backstage-cli postpack",
+    "clean": "backstage-cli clean"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "cross-fetch": "^3.0.6"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@backstage/test-utils": "^0.2.3",
+    "msw": "^0.35.0",
+    "@types/jest": "^26.0.7",
+    "@types/node": "^14.14.32"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "dist"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/src/index.ts b/packages/release-manifests/src/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f8ea22a3cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/src/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2020 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Contains mapping between Backstage release and package versions.
+ *
+ * @packageDocumentation
+ */
+
+export { getManifestByVersion, getManifestByReleaseLine } from './manifest';
+export type {
+  ReleaseManifest,
+  GetManifestByReleaseLineOptions,
+  GetManifestByVersionOptions,
+} from './manifest';
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.test.ts b/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..70894e5431
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2020 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { setupRequestMockHandlers } from '@backstage/test-utils';
+import { getManifestByReleaseLine, getManifestByVersion } from './manifest';
+import { setupServer } from 'msw/node';
+import { rest } from 'msw';
+
+describe('getManifestByVersion', () => {
+  const worker = setupServer();
+  setupRequestMockHandlers(worker);
+
+  it('should return a list of packages in a release', async () => {
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get('*/v1/releases/0.0.0/manifest.json', (_, res, ctx) =>
+        res(
+          ctx.status(200),
+          ctx.json({
+            packages: [{ name: '@backstage/core', version: '1.2.3' }],
+          }),
+        ),
+      ),
+      rest.get('*/v1/releases/999.0.1/manifest.json', (_, res, ctx) =>
+        res(ctx.status(404), ctx.json({})),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const pkgs = await getManifestByVersion({ version: '0.0.0' });
+    expect(pkgs.packages).toEqual([
+      {
+        name: '@backstage/core',
+        version: '1.2.3',
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    await expect(getManifestByVersion({ version: '999.0.1' })).rejects.toThrow(
+      'No release found for 999.0.1 version',
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe('getManifestByReleaseLine', () => {
+  const worker = setupServer();
+  setupRequestMockHandlers(worker);
+
+  it('should return a list of packages in a release', async () => {
+    worker.use(
+      rest.get('*/v1/tags/main/manifest.json', (_, res, ctx) =>
+        res(
+          ctx.status(200),
+          ctx.json({
+            packages: [{ name: '@backstage/core', version: '1.2.3' }],
+          }),
+        ),
+      ),
+      rest.get('*/v1/tags/foo/manifest.json', (_, res, ctx) =>
+        res(ctx.status(404), ctx.json({})),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const pkgs = await getManifestByReleaseLine({ releaseLine: 'main' });
+    expect(pkgs.packages).toEqual([
+      {
+        name: '@backstage/core',
+        version: '1.2.3',
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    await expect(
+      getManifestByReleaseLine({ releaseLine: 'foo' }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("No 'foo' release line found");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.ts b/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..955cf7308c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/release-manifests/src/manifest.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import fetch from 'cross-fetch';
+
+const VERSIONS_DOMAIN = 'https://versions.backstage.io';
+
+/**
+ * Contains mapping between Backstage release and package versions.
+ * @public
+ */
+export type ReleaseManifest = {
+  releaseVersion: string;
+  packages: { name: string; version: string }[];
+};
+
+/**
+ * Options for {@link getManifestByVersion}.
+ * @public
+ */
+export type GetManifestByVersionOptions = {
+  version: string;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Returns a release manifest based on supplied version.
+ * @public
+ */
+export async function getManifestByVersion(
+  options: GetManifestByVersionOptions,
+): Promise<ReleaseManifest> {
+  const url = `${VERSIONS_DOMAIN}/v1/releases/${encodeURIComponent(
+    options.version,
+  )}/manifest.json`;
+  const response = await fetch(url);
+  if (response.status === 404) {
+    throw new Error(`No release found for ${options.version} version`);
+  }
+  if (response.status !== 200) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unexpected response status ${response.status} when fetching release from ${url}.`,
+    );
+  }
+  return await response.json();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Options for {@link getManifestByReleaseLine}.
+ * @public
+ */
+export type GetManifestByReleaseLineOptions = {
+  releaseLine: string;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Returns a release manifest based on supplied release line.
+ * @public
+ */
+export async function getManifestByReleaseLine(
+  options: GetManifestByReleaseLineOptions,
+): Promise<ReleaseManifest> {
+  const url = `${VERSIONS_DOMAIN}/v1/tags/${encodeURIComponent(
+    options.releaseLine,
+  )}/manifest.json`;
+  const response = await fetch(url);
+  if (response.status === 404) {
+    throw new Error(`No '${options.releaseLine}' release line found`);
+  }
+  if (response.status !== 200) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unexpected response status ${response.status} when fetching release from ${url}.`,
+    );
+  }
+  return await response.json();
+}
diff --git a/scripts/api-extractor.ts b/scripts/api-extractor.ts
index 1ac43d242d..808af8754d 100644
--- a/scripts/api-extractor.ts
+++ b/scripts/api-extractor.ts
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ const NO_WARNING_PACKAGES = [
   'packages/test-utils',
   'packages/theme',
   'packages/types',
+  'packages/release-manifests',
   'packages/version-bridge',
   'plugins/catalog-backend-module-ldap',
   'plugins/catalog-backend-module-msgraph',