New and Updated Toolkits and Editions
To make feature discussions easier, we use the terms "toolkit" and "edition". "Toolkits" are our products, such as IPWorks or Cloud Mail, and "editions" refer to the languages. When we make an update to a toolkit, that update is included in all editions (unless it's something very language specific). To keep pace with new features in languages (such as async in .NET), we make those updates in all toolkits for that language edition. Using these broad terms allow us to discuss updates in a concise manner.
IPWorks
Several new components have been added to IPWorks: TFTPServer, GRPC, S3 and WSServer. The gRPC component builds on our history of making every protocol easy to use, and is the perfect adition to our other API components. TFTPServer is the complement to our TFTPClient, and makes it, well, trivial to implement a TFTP server. S3 provides an easy-to-use interface for S3-compatible services, including AWS, Digital Ocean, Google Cloud, Linode and more. WSServer is used to create a WebSocket server, and complements our WSClient (formerly WebSocket) component.
Microsoft is ending support for Basic Authentication in Exchange Online this year (see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-basic-authentication-exchange-online ) in favor of OAuth 2.0. IPWorks IMAP, POP and SMTP components have all been updated to support OAuth 2.0 requirements without using a separate OAuth component. For more advanced OAuth 2.0 scenarios, the OAuth component can still be used in conjunction with these components (or in other non-email scenarios requiring OAuth).
IPWorks SSL
For environments requiring a greater degree of security, IPWorks SSL has been created. IPWorks SSL is a subset of IPWorks components which have been refactored to enforce communication only via SSL/TLS. FIPS 140-2 compliance can be enabled with a special license
IPWorks EDI Translator
Because our customers often support more than one EDI standard, EDI Translator now includes Reader, Writer, Validator and Translator components for EDIFACT, HL7, TRADCOMS, VDA and X12. All Translator components feature the ability to convert XML and JSON to/from EDI flat file.
Server Licensing for Drives
A server license option has been added for S3 Drive, SFTP Drive and AES Drive. The Server editions have additional performance enhancements and the ability to run as a Windows service.
Improved OAuth and more components in Cloud Storage
The OAuth experience has been improved for all of our Cloud components, making it easier to integrate with your provider of choice. All of our cloud storage components have been combined into one Cloud Storage toolkit, and the component APIs have been standardized across providers.
We've also merged all components for all providers into Cloud Storage. Now, you can find Azure, AWS, Box, Google Cloud, Linode, Digital Ocean and others in one toolkit.
New CloudMailer Component in Cloud Mail
The new CloudMailer component is used to send HTML emails via Amazon SES, GMail or Microsoft Graph using one standard API. The simplified API makes impleentation very quick and easy, and should be applicable in most use cases. If you need more provider-specific features, Cloud Mail has a component for each provider full of provider-specific features.
New Features
These features apply to components in multiple toolkits, or entire language editions across all toolkits.
.NET Async, Cross-Platform and Licensing
Version 2022 introduces a new async version of the API designed to support asynchronous programming (async/await) for all operations. Async is available in all .NET editions of all toolkits.
Cross-platform .NET editions support .NET Core 3.1 and .NET 5/6. This opens .NET development not only on Windows, but also Linux and macOS.
Runtime licenses for .NET editions can now also be obtained via our website. This makes it easier for customer installing via NuGet (https://www.nuget.org/profiles/nsoftware) or non-Windows platforms to obtain a license. License keys can be set in code, facilitating use on non-Windows systems.
FIPS 140-2 Support
All FIPS-compliant editions of IPWorks, IPWorks SSL and IPWorks SSH have undergone thorough internal audits, and new advanced ciphers have been added. There are language edition and OS platform considerations for FIPS compliance.
C++ Editions Updates
All C++ editions have been updated across the board to provide a more consistent and simpler development experience.
Qt Support
For native development on almost any operating system, the Qt GUI framework with C++ libraries has been a great combination for almost 30 years. Because they are so closely aligned, we merged the Qt toolkit into our C++ toolkit for all products.
Java and Android Editions Merged
For every toolkit, we've merged the Java and Android editions. This will improve the experience of developers working on applications for both mobile and desktop.
macOS and iOS Editions Merged
We've also merged the macOS and iOS editions of every toolkit. This will improve the experience of developers working on applications for both mobile and desktop.
Delphi FMX (FireMonkey) Support and Installation Location
Cross-platform development on Windows, Liniux and macOS is supported in all Delphi editions using Firemonkey. Mobile support is coming soon. To resolve permissions issues in some use cases, the component installation location has been changed to the user's Documents folder, and IDE search paths are updated. During installation, if a previous version exists, you'll be prompted to uninstall it.
Additional Enhancements
Installation changes for a better developer experience
Updated documentation for improved navigation and searching
HTTP/3 Support
Support for OCSP when establishing TLS connections
Improved certificate handling across the board for a consistent experience on different platforms
Support for Relaxed JSON
Proxy PAC URL support
Update IPv6 logic for a better experience when falling back to IPv4
Improvements in Plain C interface
Swift useability improvements