May’s stand-out open source releases

May brought hundreds of new releases across the open source ecosystem. We’ve picked out a dozen of the most interesting projects, from a high-performance SQL database to a JavaScript-powered MIDI generator — and, of course, one very unusual CAPTCHA.

QuestDB 6.0

QuestDB is a high-performance SQL database aimed at FinTech, IoT, machine learning, DevOps, and observability workloads. It speaks the InfluxDB Line Protocol and exposes a REST API for queries, imports, and exports. Version 6.0 adds support for Apple’s new chipset, a refreshed UI, and a long list of fixes.

AdonisJS 5.0

AdonisJS has graduated from preview. The full-stack web framework for Node.js ships with everything needed to build a web app or API server, and the 5.0 release adds social authentication, OAuth capabilities, authorization checks, and an assets manager for bundling frontend assets. There’s also guidance for teams upgrading from AdonisJS 4.0.

Observable Plot 1.0

Observable Plot hit its first stable release in May. The JavaScript data visualization library is built for exploratory data work and integrates with Webpack, Rollup, and other Node-based bundlers. It offers a wide range of charts, markers, and color schemes for presenting data.

Wavesurfer.js 5.0

Wavesurfer.js is an interactive audio visualization tool built on Web Audio and Canvas. Version 5.0 adds a new vertical parameter for displaying waveforms in a vertical orientation, along with bug fixes and new plugins. The library works in modern browsers that support Web Audio, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera.

Scribbletune 4.0

Scribbletune uses JavaScript to generate rhythms and musical patterns. The Node.js module outputs MIDI files that can be imported into music production software, and it can run in the browser when paired with Tone.js. Release 4.0 includes fixes in harmonics and updated runkit examples.

listmonk 1.0

listmonk is a standalone, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager. It runs on PostgreSQL and ships as a single binary. The first major release out of beta includes an interface for importing bulk contacts and integrating external CRMs and databases.

Clinic.js 9.0

Clinic.js helps diagnose performance issues in Node.js applications. It collects metrics, assesses application health, and provides recommendations. Version 9.0 also supports tracking top-of-stack frequency and generating flamegraphs and bubblegraphs — but it drops support for Node.js 10.x, so users need a newer runtime installed.

Laravel Activity Log 4.0

Laravel Activity Log tracks user activity inside Laravel applications. Version 4.0 is a breaking release: it drops support for Laravel 6 and 7 as well as PHP 7.x. The update also introduces batching, which groups activity logs by a set causer over a defined duration.

Brightroom 2.0

Brightroom is a composable image editor for iOS. Developers can build their own UI on top of it to handle image display and editing within their apps. The 2.0 release is now available in alpha, with more details in the project’s README.

Stryker.js 5.0

Stryker.js performs mutation testing by modifying source code to catch false positives in test suites. Version 5.0 removes the range property from the mutant type, supports Node 12 or higher, and brings a set of new features and fixes.

DOOM Captcha

DOOM Captcha replaces the usual traffic-light puzzles with something more entertaining: users prove they’re human by killing in-game enemies. The project is just one of several games from the same creator, who hosts a collection on GitHub Pages.

Another note for release maintainers: GitHub Releases now supports emoji reactions, giving users a quick way to show support for any release.