FastX 4 Changes
NOTE: Advanced package is currently not available for download.
Redesigned Webserver
In order to take advantage of modern container based infrastructures, FastX 4 was redesigned from the ground up to integrate with containers and kubernetes architectures. FastX 4 is now implemented as a microservices framework so that components can be separated out according to their use cases. FastX 4 can still be installed as a complete package with all components in one installation.
Basic and Advanced Packages
FastX 4 has separated the packages out according to the needs of the user. The Basic package contains all the components needed to log in on one standard isolated server. The Advanced packages contains extra features typically not needed by single system users (for example clustering). This simplifies the configuration, installation, and support of users who simply want to install and start using FastX. There is no longer a need to configure a standalone vs cluster server.
Database Dependency Removed
FastX 4 has removed the need for a database. This simplifies the configuration, installation, and support of a FastX server. For more information see FastX 4 Configuration
Migration From 3.3
FastX 3 stored configuration in both files and database (filestore and MongoDB).
Download the configuration.
If you have a standalone server you can skip this step.
sudo npm start --prefix /usr/lib/fastx/4/www/scripts/migrate/download-dbConvert the configuration to the new format.
sudo npm start --prefix /usr/lib/fastx/4/www/scripts/migrate/3.3File Based Storage Solution
With the removal of the database, all persistent data is now stored in files. This includes configuration, user preferences, and logins among other things. This allows better ability to view and archive the data in FastX. For more information see FastX 4 Configuration
Configuration Stored as Ini Files
Previous versions of FastX stored configuration in the .json or .jsonl file format. While this is a great format for systems, it causes issues when users try to manually modify them. FastX 4 switches to ini files for key/value/object storage. Ini files are human readable, self documenting (you can add comments), and easy to edit. This allows system admins to edit via file instead of through the web interface. This also allows easier configuration via a config manager like Ansible or Puppet. For more information see FastX 4 Configuration
Configuration Via Environment Variables
Many configuration options can now be overridden by environment variables. This follows the 12 factor app approach for production systems. This also simplifies heterogeneous installations as multiple systems can reference the same base configuration and override the system specific configuration via the environment. For more information see FastX 4 Configuration
Applications (Formerly Bookmarks) and Profiles Merged
FastX 4 merges Bookmarks and Profiles together into a new Application document. In older versions, the bookmark would reference its profile causing confusion. Now all information needed to start and configure a session is in one standard file. For more information see FastX 4 Configuration
Containerized Sessions
FastX sessions have been upgraded to run standalone in containers. This allows for better resource management and optimization for your infrastructure
Weblink Proxy
With the move to containers, the FastX session no longer needs to be on the same system as the FastX server. Sessions can connect via a proxy allowing more flexible infrastructure configurations.