OpenCloud 4.0.0: New Release Brings Multi-Tenancy

A new release of the open-source software OpenCloud is here: The new version 4.0.0 brings central extensions for providers, large organizations, and KRITIS environments. The focus is on multi-tenancy, new Kubernetes Helm charts for high availability, and the integration of OpenSearch as a scalable backend for file search.

The newly implemented multi-tenancy feature allows multiple tenants to be operated separately within a single deployment. According to Product Manager Tobias Baader, this is specifically aimed at providers, municipal data centers, and large organizations with multiple departments or customer environments.

Another focus of the new version is optimization for Kubernetes environments. With the new Helm charts, OpenCloud is intended to achieve a 5.25-fold increase in efficiency, according to the announcement. The updated deployment architecture is intended to enable true high availability and intelligent load balancing while significantly reducing resource requirements. Through automatic scale-up and scale-down, only the actually required server resources are provided, which is intended to lead to cost savings in large Kubernetes landscapes.

Files on Demand and OpenSearch Integration

The desktop client receives the Files on Demand feature, which reduces local storage requirements. Users see all files in the local Windows file system as usual, but OpenCloud only downloads them completely when needed. Frequently used files can remain permanently available offline, while rarely used content is offloaded. For the search function, OpenCloud now integrates OpenSearch, which emerged from Elasticsearch under Amazon's leadership from Elasticsearch. The search engine, launched as a fork of Elasticsearch and Kibana, is intended to improve performance even with huge amounts of data.

In addition, OpenCloud introduces a new calendar and contact function based on the Radicale server, supporting CalDAV and CardDAV, allowing appointments and address books to be managed on one's own server. Users can find their personal CalDAV URL directly in the web interface in the new calendar panel of the account settings, which facilitates integration with apps like Apple Calendar or Thunderbird. This new feature is particularly aimed at community and private users.

Also new are the live updates for PosixFS: changes at the file level are transferred in real-time to OpenCloud and all clients. Additionally, there is an undo option, allowing users to reverse deletion actions.

Furthermore, release 4.0.0 includes the switch to Google's Material Design standard, a dark mode, and detailed improvements such as a Save/Export As option in the Web Office Collabora and extended trash management. The editor now supports significantly more file formats. Companies can now centrally customize the branding of their OpenCloud installations with a single click. Users can optionally set a profile picture. The Web UI can now be installed as a Progressive Web App and then runs like a native app without a browser frame.

OpenCloud is available under free open-source licenses, while commercial enterprise licenses offer additional features and 24/7 manufacturer support for critical use cases. All changes are listed in the release notes on GitHub. Earlier this year, OpenCloud emerged from ownCloud Infinite Scale (oCIS) after a dispute, and the new free project was initiated by the Heinlein Group.

(fo)