Data Visualization and Monitoring Upgrades
Grafana 8.0 brings opt-in features that centralize alerting information across your applications. The open source platform for querying, visualizing, and understanding metrics now lets you create and edit alert rules for all your apps from a single location, regardless of where the underlying data is stored.
For developers working closer to the code, D3 7.0 adds new modules and expanded data manipulation options to the JavaScript visualization library. D3 continues to leverage web standards including SVGs, canvas, and HTML, allowing interactive data displays that go beyond static charts. The library is also part of Observable, which was covered in the May Release Radar.
On the network monitoring front, ntopng 5.0 ships an advanced alert engine with security-focused features. The web-based traffic monitoring tool, initially written in 1998, can now collect flows from more routers and detect anomalies, building on its existing capabilities for capturing packets, recording traffic, probing networks, and analyzing web-based traffic.
Infrastructure and Development Tools
Chainlink reached its 1.0 milestone. The middleware simplifies blockchain communication by connecting on-chain smart contracts to off-chain computation or APIs through secure, flexible infrastructure.
Email infrastructure gets an update with Postal 2.0. Originally developed by Krystal for internal use before being open sourced, the self-hosted mail delivery platform includes bug fixes and a refreshed UI in this release.
Reaction 4.0 combines Node.js, React, and GraphQL into a commerce platform that works with NPM, Docker, and Kubernetes. This release switches authentication to account-js and stops shipping hydra and identity by default.
GitHub CLI 2.0 introduces extension support, letting you build custom commands tailored to your workflow. The update follows community adoption of the command line tool since its 1.0 release.
Testing, Notes, and Gaming
Locust 2.0 introduces breaking changes to its API. The load testing tool lets you define user behavior in regular Python code, without being constrained by a UI or domain-specific language. Developers with existing Locust files should review the release notes before upgrading.
FSNotes 5.0 targets macOS and iOS note takers. The latest version includes over 50 bug fixes plus support for hierarchy, advanced tags, and a sidebar. The manager works with plaintext or RTF files, syncs via iCloud Drive or Dropbox, and handles more than 10,000 files without slowing down. A debug build image is also available.
For a departure from development work, Shattered Pixel Dungeon hit 1.0 after seven years in development. The rogue-like RPG generates items, levels, enemies, and traps randomly. It's available on Google Play, the App Store, or directly via GitHub.
