MEF.DEV Platform v.2.2.6.7 Release Notes

[Gregory Ostapenko]

This new release introduces robust features and enhancements aimed at fortifying security, optimizing JSON serialization, and significantly improving the BPMN designer experience. Our goal is to continually advance the platform to support the evolving needs of developers and enhance collaboration within the Community.

Advanced Security DevOps with CryEye Integration
In this release, we’ve integrated CryEye's platform to elevate the security framework of MEF.DEV through comprehensive DevOps features. CryEye allows embedded security scans across various targets, ensuring a rigorous acceptance analysis focused on cybersecurity. These targets include .NET NuGet binaries and Angular applications, providing a broad spectrum of security coverage. Also, the current set of scans encompasses:

• dotnet-retire, a CLI extension that checks projects for known vulnerabilities;
• SafeNuGet, an MsBuild task that warns about insecure NuGet libraries;
• DevAudit, a tool for detecting security vulnerabilities across multiple levels of the solution stack;
• Snyk tools, which identify and fix known vulnerabilities in dependencies;
• OWASP Dependency Check, which detects publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in project dependencies;
• NuGet Defense, an MSBuild task that checks for known vulnerabilities;
• dotnet, which checks the list of vulnerable packages using GitHub's Security Advisory Database;
• Angelyzer, which scans Angular apps to detect potential security issues.

These integrations provide a comprehensive security analysis, ensuring that developers can maintain a secure development lifecycle with ease.

Enhanced JSON Polymorphic Serialization/Deserialization
With this new release, the MEF.DEV team also brings advanced support for JSON polymorphic serialization and deserialization. Polymorphism in JSON serialization allows for selecting one of multiple data structure types, supporting both flat enumeration and hierarchical systems such as taxonomy or exception hierarchies. This feature enhances flexibility in data handling and improves the efficiency of data interchange formats within the MEF.DEV ecosystem.

Significant BPMN Designer Improvements
The MEF.DEV platform’s BPMN Designer has undergone substantial enhancements to improve usability and developer productivity. These improvements include:

• automatic saving of parameters for BPMN elements and visual indication of unsaved changes in code actions;
• the ability to write source code directly within BPMN elements, streamlining the workflow and reducing the need for external code actions;
• the addition of various command hotkeys to the BPMN designer, enhancing navigation and command execution efficiency;
• hints for code autocomplete to assist developers in writing code more efficiently;
• re-compilation support during code editing to speed up the testing process, making iterations faster and more effective;
• the addition of a visual editor for internal types in JSON schema design, simplifying the creation and management of JSON schemas;
• the ability to connect BPMN flow libraries to Git repositories with synchronization and merge procedures, facilitating better version control and collaboration;
• the capability to publish BPMN flows as backend-type plugins with the generation of usage examples adhering to the Swagger specification;
• a search feature for BPMN flow elements, aiding in efficient debugging and troubleshooting.

The mentioned enhancements are designed to streamline the development process, foster real-time collaboration, and accelerate project timelines through intuitive and powerful tools.

Useful Links:
1. Online technical preview: https://preview.mef.dev/rflnk/wsvfcV0ECUiTog2b/v2PmCJMkMdhSXKjoyJe5Ziwl6L2/sEhxbNHs0/K9YZqm+xt
2. Helm chart templates for mef-dev apps in Kubernetes: https://github.com/mef-dev/k8s
3. The MEF.DEV platform in a Docker Container: https://github.com/mef-dev/docker
4. CryEye Multi-Engine Security Monitoring: https://www.h-x.technology/cryeye-multi-engine-security-monitoring