Release Roundup - May 2022

Stacks API

• Last month, we introduced a Rust-based NodeJS addon library. The latest API release uses that library to achieve CPU optimizations for decoding Clarity values, binary transaction blobs, post-condition binary blobs, and Stacks addresses. (#1094) (f5c4da7)
• This month, we continued work on event replay optimizations. Event-replay is an API feature that enables developers to store and record Stacks node events in a text file and read it back at different times. This is helpful for managing migrations and breaking changes. We know that developers want to ship fast and with confidence, so the more we can reduce event import time, the better. Currently, a full event replay (archival mode) can take around 18 hours to complete. The latest API release includes “pruned event import” mode (#1125) which reduces the import time by 40% (around 7 hrs). More optimizations are planned in the near future such as preorg mode (#1166) with an estimated 70-80% further reduction in Event Replay time once these changes are merged.
• Other improvements included in the latest API release are events-only endpoints for address and tx_id (#1027) and better error handling for ft/nft metadata (#1165). We have also submitted a SIP related to ft/nft metadata which proposes a simple mechanism for developers to notify the Stacks network when metadata for a token has changed.
• Visit the GitHub repo for an overview of PRs merged and issues closed in the past 30 days. Current release: v4.0.0.

Blockchain

• For the latest on hyperchains, check out the update in the forum as well as a short video explaining the basic architecture. Hyperchains are live on testnet. The next milestone for hyperchains is to test out a specific use case, in this case an NFT launch, which is slated for testnet in late June, early July 2022.
• We also submitted two SIPs (Stacks Improvement Proposals) for consideration: PoX for fuelling Bitcoin development and Notifications for Token Metadata Updates.

Clarinet

• The latest Clarinet release introduces deployment plans (#333), a new feature to help developers build with confidence with reproducible protocol deployments and simulate various protocol designs locally, in tests and console. Check out the README for more details.
• We also released a VS Code debugger. Check out this video for a demo of the debugger.
• Visit the GitHub repo for an overview of PRs merged and issues closed in the past 30 days. Current releases: Clarinet v0.31.1, clarity-repl 0.28.2, and clarity-lsp 0.8.0

Stacks.js

• Stacks.js bundle sizes are getting smaller which means your applications can move faster! We were able to reduce bundle sizes by offloading dependencies such as bn.js, bip39, bitcoinjs-lib, and elliptic. Some package bundles are up to 80% smaller. Check out the changelog for Stacks.js to see more bundle-size improvements.
• Visit the GitHub repo for an overview of PRs merged and issues closed in the past 30 days. Current release: v4.2.2.

Hiro Wallet

• We released a preview build of the Hiro Wallet extension with Ledger support. Developers and users alike are invited to test out this new feature and report any issues they encounter via Github. Other work this month included various UX improvements. 
• Visit the GitHub repo for an overview of PRs merged and issues closed in the past 30 days. Current releases: web v3.9.0, desktop v4.6.1

Stacks Explorer

• We improved the devnet experience on the Stacks Explorer with continuous refactors and performance/codebase improvements. You can now connect local instances to a production explorer without needing to spin up a local one. It’s also easier to submit feedback and report a bug in the Stacks Explorer (#693).
• Visit the GitHub repo for an overview of PRs merged and issues closed in the past 30 days. Current release: v1.22.4

That’s it for May. Have questions? Chat with us on Discord.