Release Notes: Baker 5.0.0

We are pleased to announce the release of Baker 5.0.0, featuring a significant backend upgrade. The primary change in this release is the upgrade of Akka to the latest version, along with routine dependency updates.

Key Change in This Release:

1. Major Akka Upgrade:

   • Upgraded Akka from 2.6.20 to 2.10.6 by @bekiroguz in https://github.com/ing-bank/baker/pull/1854
   • Starting from Akka 2.7, Lightbend’s Akka libraries are governed by the Business Source License (BSL), which requires a commercial license for production use.
   • For more details, please see [Akka licensing update blog post] and [Akka documentation] on how to obtain and configure a free license key for non production use cases.

2. Dependency Updates:

   • Updated project dependencies to ensure compatibility with the new Akka version and to improve general stability and performance.

Backward Compatibility:

• No backward compatibility issues were observed in our internal tests, meaning this release can be rolled out in production environments without requiring a full cluster shutdown.
• However, users should carry out their own tests to verify compatibility with their specific configurations and workflows before using this version in production.

Recommendations for Migration:

1. Review Akka Licensing:

   • Ensure compliance with Akka’s Business Source License if you plan to deploy in production.

2. Test Before Upgrading:

   • While we noticed no issues, validate compatibility in a staging or non-critical environment to confirm the upgrade suits your specific use case.

3. Perform a Gradual Rollout:

   • Since there are no major breaking changes, you can incrementally roll out this update to your cluster.

This release is mostly centered around infrastructure upgrades and changes under the hood but remains stable and compatible with typical Baker implementations. If you encounter any issues, feel free to report them on our [GitHub issues page](https://github.com/ing-bank/baker/issues).

Thank you for using Baker, and happy baking! 🎉

Full Changelog: https://github.com/ing-bank/baker/compare/v4.1.1...v5.0.0