Release Notes v2.8.0

Version 2.8.0 introduces usage analytics collection, improved database migration capabilities with enhanced PostgreSQL support, and better error handling for production environments. This release focuses on improving operational visibility, database management, and system reliability.

What’s New

📊 Usage Analytics Collection

GlassFlow now includes asynchronous usage analytics collection for better product insights:

Non-blocking collection - Usage statistics are collected asynchronously to avoid impacting pipeline performance
Event-based tracking - Pipeline operations and component state changes are tracked via events
Configurable collection - Usage stats collection can be enabled or disabled via configuration
Retry mechanism - Built-in retry mechanism for reliable usage data collection
Error isolation - Usage collection failures are isolated and don’t affect pipeline operations

Usage analytics help the GlassFlow team understand how the product is being used, which features are most valuable, and where improvements can be made. All data collection respects privacy and can be disabled if required.

🗄️ Enhanced Database Migration Support

Database migration capabilities have been significantly improved:

Migration container - New dedicated migration container for running database migrations
SSL mode support - Full support for PostgreSQL SSL modes (require, verify-full, etc.)
Connection string support - Support for PostgreSQL connection strings in addition to individual parameters
Database validation - Improved database existence validation methods

These improvements make it easier to manage database migrations in various deployment scenarios, including those with strict SSL requirements.

🔒 PostgreSQL SSL Configuration

Enhanced PostgreSQL connection security with comprehensive SSL support:

SSL mode validation - Validation for POSTGRES_SSL_MODE environment variable
Multiple SSL modes - Support for require, verify-full, and other PostgreSQL SSL modes
Connection string SSL - SSL configuration via connection strings
Better error messages - Improved error messages for SSL configuration issues

🛡️ Usage Stats Safeguards

Usage statistics collection includes multiple safeguards to ensure reliability:

Failure isolation - Usage collection failures don’t impact pipeline operations
Async processing - Usage events are processed asynchronously via channels
Retry mechanism - Automatic retry with configurable intervals
Error logging - Comprehensive error logging for troubleshooting

🛠️ Infrastructure Improvements

Several infrastructure and operational improvements:

Migration workflow - New build workflow for migration container images
Docker script improvements - Enhanced Docker script for running database revisions
Code cleanup - Removed unused constants and middleware
Test improvements - Updated unit tests to use mock values properly

🐛 Bug Fixes

Fixed incorrect transformer argument sent to deduplication service
Fixed entry point script path for CI
Fixed variable name consistency in migration scripts
Fixed various documentation and code cleanup issues

Configuration Changes

Usage Statistics Configuration

Usage statistics collection can be configured in the Helm chart via the values.yaml file:


global:
  usageStats:
    enabled: true

💡 Note: Usage statistics collection is enabled by default.

PostgreSQL SSL Configuration

PostgreSQL SSL mode can be configured when using an external PostgreSQL instance. For internal PostgreSQL (deployed via the Helm chart), SSL configuration is handled automatically.

External PostgreSQL with SSL

When using an external PostgreSQL instance, configure SSL via the global PostgreSQL settings:


global:
  postgres:
    # Option 1: Use connection string with SSL mode
    connection_url: "postgresql://user:password@host:5432/dbname?sslmode=require"
    
    # Option 2: Use individual parameters with SSL mode
    host: "postgres.example.com"
    port: 5432
    database: "glassflow"
    username: "glassflow"
    password: "your-password"
    ssl_mode: "require"  # Options: disable, allow, prefer, require, verify-ca, verify-full

Internal PostgreSQL

When using the internal PostgreSQL chart (default), SSL configuration is managed automatically. To enable SSL for internal PostgreSQL, set the enabled flag to true and configure the sslmode parameter:


postgresql:
  enabled: true
  auth:
    enabled: true
    # PostgreSQL SSL mode for connection URL
    # Valid values: disable, allow, prefer, require, verify-ca, verify-full
    sslmode: "disable"

💡 Reference: For complete Helm chart configuration options, see the GlassFlow Helm Charts repository and the Helm Values Configuration documentation.

Migration Container

The migration container can be built and deployed separately for custom migration scenarios:


# Build migration container
docker build -f docker/migrate/Dockerfile -t glassflow-migrate:latest .
 
# Run migrations with SSL configuration
docker run --rm \
  -e POSTGRES_HOST=postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_SSL_MODE=require \
  glassflow-migrate:latest

Migration Notes

For Existing Users

No breaking changes - This release is fully backward compatible
Usage stats enabled by default - Usage statistics collection is enabled by default but can be disabled
Migration improvements - Database migrations will benefit from improved SSL and connection string support
No action required - Existing deployments will continue to work without changes

Configuration Updates

Usage stats - New optional configuration for usage statistics collection
PostgreSQL SSL - Enhanced SSL configuration options for PostgreSQL connections
Migration container - New migration container available for separate deployment

Performance Improvements

Non-blocking analytics - Usage statistics collection doesn’t impact pipeline performance
Async processing - Asynchronous event processing for better system responsiveness
Improved migrations - Faster and more reliable database migrations

Try It Out

To experience the new features in v2.8.0:

Deploy the latest version using our Kubernetes Helm charts
Review usage stats - Check usage statistics collection settings and configure as needed
Test migrations - Use the new migration container for database migrations
Configure SSL - Set up PostgreSQL SSL connections if required
Monitor operations - Observe improved error handling and system reliability

Full Changelog

For a complete list of all changes, improvements, and bug fixes in v2.8.0, see our GitHub release v2.8.0 .

GlassFlow v2.8.0 continues our commitment to making streaming ETL more observable, manageable, and reliable for enterprise production environments.