Nextcloud 21 is ten times faster with optional Rust component

Nextcloud 21 is out. The main change from the open source file hosting platform is that the loading times have been drastically reduced. According to the makers, Nextcloud Hub 21 is up to 10 times faster than the previous versions.

For the new version, the developers have significantly modified Nextcloud, especially under the hood. It concerns optimizations for loading apps and database queries. Nextcloud 21 is also compatible with PHP 8. Compatibility with PHP 7.2 disappears altogether. This allows for improvements in how texts are processed, how Objects are stored and in LDAP group handling. With those changes, the desktop interface is at least twice as fast, according to the makers.

In addition, an optional back-end is also available that is even faster. That High Performance Back-end for Files is written entirely in Rust and is only suitable for file storage. It is an optional binary that allows a direct connection between two clients. As a result, according to the makers, there is no need to constantly check the server to see if there are any changes. The pinging was always done at intervals of half a minute, but with the new module this is only done once every five minutes.

According to the developers, this direct connection also makes it possible to send real-time notifications, for example when a message arrives in the chat function. That feature, combined with all the other minor changes, would make Nextcloud 21 up to ten times faster.

In addition to the performance improvements, new features have also been added to the service. For example, there is a Whiteboard app available where users can make drawings together, upload images and write texts. Users can also create their own templates, and the chat function has been improved with status indicators and the possibility to raise a virtual hand.