21.0.0rc2

Release notes

This is the second Core release candidate supporting protocol 21.

New features in protocol 21

• Secp256r1 support in Soroban host: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0051.md
• Soroban host function for extending TTL of contract instance and code separately: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0053.md
• Use refined cost model for VM instantiation in order to reduce the VM instantiation metered costs: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0054.md
• Intra-transaction VM module caching for the further Soroban cost reduction: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0055.md, https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0056.md

What's Changed

• Bump env by @sisuresh in #4276
• Define custom cereal override for ConfigUpgradeSetKey and use it by @sisuresh in #4247
• Enable protocol 21 by @sisuresh in #4281
• Exclude ledger-close-meta test files in .gitignore by @sisuresh in #4282
• Windows compile fixes by @MonsieurNicolas in #4283
• Overlay stability fixes by @marta-lokhova in #4279
• Bump env to released commit by @sisuresh in #4288
• Make sure test actually modifies LedgerEntry by @sisuresh in #4289
• Better error codes in tx queue by @marta-lokhova in #4260
• Don't rebuild tables after enabling BucketListDB by @SirTyson in #4267
• No longer serialize small indexes to disk by @SirTyson in #4270
• Fix memory issue with individual indexes by @SirTyson in #4273
• BucketListDB Bucket Apply Optimization by @SirTyson in #4114
• Overlay improvements by @marta-lokhova in #4291
• Add module cache test by @sisuresh in #4285
• Add blended classic+soroban mode to loadgen by @bboston7 in #4248
• Drop TxMeta column from TxHistory table by @SirTyson in #4230
• Address pull mode tech debt by @marta-lokhova in #4294
• refactor some overlay interfaces by @marta-lokhova in #4293
• Background eviction by @SirTyson in #4191
• Validate non-Soroban txs with Soroban ext in checkValid by @dmkozh in #4296
• Rename cereal xdr_to_string by @sisuresh in #4280
• Fix TxAdverts test by @sisuresh in #4298
• chore: remove repetitive word in README.md by @clonemycode in #4300
• Avoid copying StellarMessage in flooding paths by @marta-lokhova in #4299
• BucketListDB enabled by default by @SirTyson in #4277
• Bump overlay version to 33 by @marta-lokhova in #4304
• Seperate metrics for bloom miss loads by @SirTyson in #4274
• Update env to 20.0.2 by @jayz22 in #4301
• April 2024 warning police by @graydon in #4297

New Contributors

• @clonemycode made their first contribution in #4300

Full Changelog: v20.4.0...v21.0.0rc2