A tag is a note pinned to one commit; lightweight is only the pointer, annotated is a fourth kind of object with message, date, tagger and optional signature.

Releases need a name that cannot drift.

A branch note moves every time you commit. Sometimes you want a name that stays put.

A tag is a note pinned to one commit, forever. Version one point zero means this exact photo.

A lightweight tag is only the pointer. A file with a name, holding a commit name.

An annotated tag is a fourth kind of object. It carries a message, a date, and a tagger, and can be signed.

Pin one on every release. Months later, the branch has moved on. Version one point zero still means that one photo.

Check yourself. What does an annotated tag have that a lightweight tag does not?