VMware Tanzu Application Service 2.13 has landed! This release is jam-packed with great features for both developers using the platform and the operators supporting it. Let’s deep-dive into these features below.
Developer enhancements
Here is a closer look at four of the new features developers, specifically, will love.
Live destination application protocol updates
Developers can now toggle between HTTP and HTTP/2 protocols without downtime on their application routes. This is a critical feature for developers to make use of new application protocols without having to create new routes to bind them to their applications. The ability to update existing routes will allow protocol change without downtime.
Check out this great new feature in this video:
Dynamic Application Security Groups
In our ongoing effort to reduce developer toil, we have added the ability to dynamically update Application Security Groups (ASGs) without the need for developers to restart their applications for changes to take effect. This enhances the developer experience when new ASG requirements need to be implemented, and saves time by eliminating the need to orchestrate application restarts.
See dynamic ASGs in action in this video:
App Autoscaler step-up scaling
Developers making use of App Autoscaler can now determine the application instance scale factor when scaling is needed for their applications. This means the default scale factor (one application instance up or down at a time) can be set to a factor that is appropriate for the application. This is extremely important for applications that need to scale up rapidly to maintain their performance service level agreements during bursts of traffic.
See how to step up your app autoscaling in this video:
One-way TLS for container-to-container communication
Container-to-container (C2C) communication is a great feature of Tanzu Application Service, especially for heavy application-to-application traffic patterns within the platform. Before 2.13, Tanzu Application Service only supported HTTP traffic via C2C, but as of the 2.13 release, the ability for developers to also expose HTTPS endpoints for C2C communication has been added. This continues the push for Transport Layer Security (TLS) everywhere in the platform to continually enhance the security postures within Tanzu Application Service.
Deep dive into C2C TLS with this video:
Operator enhancements
This update isn't just for developers, though. Here are six new features designed to improve the operator experience.
Platform support for MySQL 8
Tanzu Application Service now supports using MySQL 8 as an external datasource for internal platform databases. This will ensure operators using an external MySQL 5.7 database have a path to upgrade to MySQL 8 before MySQL 5.7 goes end-of-life in 2023.
Re-creating all VMs no longer required for certificate authority rotation
In an effort to improve the lives of platform operators, we focused on reducing the effort needed to rotate the root and nats certificate authorities (CAs) on the platform. Re-creating all virtual machines will no longer be required to complete the CA rotation process. This will reduce the time needed for operators, and allow for the process to pick up where it left off.
Reduced BOSH deployment times
To reduce deployment time, the BOSH template rendering process has been enhanced and optimized. This should be beneficial for operators of large platforms, as every deployment will take less time to complete.
Log Cache performance updates
The Log Cache component has been separated into its own virtual machine instance in 2.13. This will allow it to scale independently from the Doppler instance in which it was previously co-deployed. Operators of large foundations will now be able to ensure Log Cache is appropriately scaled up. This will allow for enhanced stability in Log Cache and allow for dependent systems like the App Autoscaler to make better scaling decisions.
Improved security posture for AWS IaaS
For operators using Amazon Web Services (AWS) as an infrastructure target, they will be able to enable Instance Metadata Service Version 2 (IMDSv2) authentication in Tanzu Operations Manager. This expands the security of the platform by leveraging enhanced best practices for AWS.
GoLang 1.17 support
Internal platform components have been upgraded to use GoLang 1.17 from version 1.16. This will ensure the platform components can continue to consume upstream patches and security updates without issue, as 1.16 will be end-of-life during the support lifecycle of Tanzu Application Service 2.13.
Cloud Service Broker enhancements
Improvements have also been made to the Cloud Service Broker.
Tanzu Cloud Service Broker for Azure: Ready for migration!
In an effort to expand multi-cloud support for Tanzu Application Service, the VMware Tanzu Cloud Service Broker for Azure is now ready for production use. You can begin to adopt or start migrating the new Tanzu Cloud Service Broker for Azure.
If you would like to see it in action, check out this video:
Check out the release notes for more information on Tanzu Cloud Service Broker for Azure, and download it here.
VMware Tanzu Application Service 2.13 shows that VMware's dedication to Tanzu Application Service is as strong as ever. VMware continues to invest in Tanzu Application Service and the Cloud Foundry community to ensure that Tanzu Application Service is the best place to run your mission-critical applications.
Go ahead and download VMware Tanzu Application Service 2.13 now.
