GitHub Enterprise Server 3.4 hits general availability
GitHub Enterprise Server 3.4 is now generally available, bringing more than 60 new features focused on security, compliance, and administration. Highlights include reusable workflows for GitHub Actions, Dependabot security updates, Ruby support for code scanning, and several developer productivity enhancements.
Dependabot expands to the enterprise
Dependabot is available in GitHub Enterprise Server 3.4 as a public beta, covering both security updates and version updates for popular ecosystems. Version updates let users add a Dependabot configuration file to a repository, prompting Dependabot to open pull requests when a tracked dependency gets a new release. Security updates work through a repository setting: when GitHub detects a vulnerability in a dependency listed in the dependency graph, Dependabot creates a pull request to address it.
Advanced Security and scanning improvements
Code scanning now supports Ruby analysis in public beta. The Python, Java, and JavaScript analyzers have also improved, with broader recognition of popular libraries and frameworks chosen through community feedback and usage data.
API updates accompany the scanning changes. A new enterprise-level secret scanning REST endpoint reports the location of secrets, including the file where a secret was first detected, its location within the file, and the commit SHA. The code scanning API also received several improvements.
Workflow reuse and administration
Reusable workflows let teams reference an existing workflow with a single line of configuration instead of copying definitions across repositories. The full workflow behaves like a GitHub Action, enabling faster development while supporting standardization and compliance across the enterprise.
For administrators, a new “Manage Access” tab in repository settings streamlines user and team access management, with performance improvements that keep access management responsive on very large repositories.
Other notable changes
Branch protection now treats requiring pull requests and requiring approving reviews as separate options, giving more granular control over workflow rules.
The @mention suggester now prioritizes users who have participated in the conversation, displaying them above other suggestions for faster discovery.
Organizations can publish a README.md to describe their work, invite contributions, or point readers toward specific repositories.
Release notes are available in the documentation, and the software can be downloaded for installation. The Upgrade Assistant can help find the right upgrade path from a current GitHub Enterprise Server version.
