Wilmington, DE, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of more than 320 active open source projects and initiatives, today announced Apache Sling™ 13, a versatile framework for RESTful web applications. Sling empowers developers with its extensible content tree and resource-driven request processing, making it an ideal foundation for a wide range of applications, from blogging engines to enterprise content management systems.

“Apache Sling is extremely modular, allowing users to build anything from small microservice applications to very large enterprise applications,” said Robert Munteanu, Apache Sling PMC. Chair. “Sling 13 gives users many performance enhancements and efficiencies, including greater security overall. We are very proud of the community’s dedication and hard work to make this release available to users.” 

Sling maps HTTP request URLs to content resources based on the request's path, extension, and selectors, fostering meaningful URLs and resource-driven request processing. The modular nature of Sling allows for specialized server instances that include only what is needed.

Key Highlights of Apache Sling 13:

• Official Java 21 Support: Apache Sling 13 now officially supports Java 21, alongside Java 11 and 17. This ensures compatibility and performance improvements across the latest Java versions. 
• Performance Enhancements: The update to Apache Jackrabbit Oak 1.72.0 brings numerous performance improvements and new features, enhancing the overall efficiency of Sling applications.
• Migration to jakarta.json: Many modules have transitioned from org.json to jakarta.json, with full migration expected soon. This update includes support for both Apache Johnzon 1.x and 2.x.
• Sling Models Improvements: Enhancements in Sling Models include automatic optional injections for java.util.Optional, support for parameter name evaluation in constructor injection, and constructor injection for Java Record classes.
• Enhanced XSS Protection: The Sling XSS module now uses the OWASP Java HTML Sanitizer library, replacing the previous OWASP AntiSamy implementation, for improved security.
• Multi-Arch Container Image: The official Apache Sling Starter images now support the linux/arm64 architecture, expanding deployment options across various platforms.
• OSGi Core R8 Compliance: Apache Sling 13 ships with Apache Felix 7 fully implementing OSGi Core R8, and includes Felix SCR 2.2, which implements Declarative Services 1.5.

For more information on Apache Sling 13 and to get started, visit https://sling.apache.org/documentation/getting-started.html. 

Additional Resources: 

• Download Sling 13.0
• Sling Tutorials 
• Getting Started With Sling 
• Contribute to Sling 

About The Apache Software Foundation (ASF)
Founded in 1999, the Apache Software Foundation exists to provide software for the public good with support from more than 75 sponsors. ASF’s open source software is used ubiquitously around the world with more than 8,400 committers contributing to 320+ active projects including Apache Superset, Apache Camel, Apache Flink, Apache HTTP Server, Apache Kafka, and Apache Airflow. The Foundation’s open source projects and community practices are considered industry standards, including the widely adopted Apache License 2.0, the podling incubation process, and a consensus-driven decision model that enables projects to build strong communities and thrive. https://apache.org

ASF’s annual Community Over Code event is where open source technologists convene to share best practices and use cases, forge critical relationships, and learn about advancements in their field. https://communityovercode.org/ 

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