Release 3.4.0 - Updated Timeline

[martinsumner]

OpenRiak - Riak 3.4 Release Date

The release of Riak 3.4 was originally expected for the end of October 2025. However, there are a number of tasks either pending completion or review, and so that deadline has been missed.

The aim now is to release Riak 3.4 on 7th January 2026, with some scope modifications. The original plan to add exemplar clients has been removed from the scope. However, the intention is still to deliver refreshed technical documentation, along with all proposed changes covered in OpenRiak discussions. Further to this, it is important to also be able to clarify ton the release date the expected scope for Riak 4.0: as some features are deprecated by the replace, it is important to be clear whether that deprecation will result in relaunch, pareto replacement or retirement in 4.0.

In order to meet this date, and the requirements for it, there are some interim deadlines set out here. There's an assumed scope for 3.4.1 included - things that need not wait for the next major release, but where it is now unrealistic to add them in the scope for the 3.4 release.

Key Dates

5th November

Deadline for:

• OpenRiak QuickDocs to be ready for review (text content only);
• PRs to be accepted in RC0 (PR must be reviewed and merged).
• [update 7/11 - deadline deferred for 2 days to accept Query API improvement]

12th November

Deadline for:

• Release of RC0.

[edit - release candidate announcement now scheduled for 13th November]

3rd December

Deadline for:

• PRs to be accepted in Riak 3.4 (PR must be reviewed and merged to openriak-3.4);
• Write-up of any Riak 4.0 Proposals on OpenRiak/Discussions;
• Presentation draft of Riak QuickDocs (ExDoc otherwise JTT/JTD/GHP or Minimal/native-GHP).
• Content-only PR window for Riak QuickDocs 3.4 closed
• Presentation PR window for Riak QuickDocs 3.4 open

31st December

Deadline for:

• Presentation PR window for Riak QuickDocs closed

7th January

Deadline for:

• Code Walk-throughs in riak_kv wiki;
• Riak 3.4 NFT review in riak_kv wiki;
• Agreement to release 3.4;
• Agreement of scope and target date for 4.0 (no feature left in doubt by 3.4 release);
• Agreement of PR deadline for 3.4.1.

4th February

Deadline for:

• Outline criteria agreed on support for Riak 3.6 (OTP 28 compatible release without new features, but also without feature retirement).
  • Should this effort be supported by OpenRiak, and what would be required to make this happen.
• Make openriak-3.4 default for all OpenRiak repos, start openriak-4.0 branches.

Release Expectations

Riak 3.4.0 RC0

Expected to include (in addition to openriak-3.4 c8f8074):

• riak_core orc.25 efficiency.
• Query API.

Riak 3.4.0 Release

Expected to include (in addition to RC0):

• Logger (with legacy, 3.2 compat and basic tag);
• TictacAAE CLI
• Metadata as Map
• delete_mode in riak.conf

Riak 3.4.1 Release

Expected to include (in addition to Riak 3.4):

• Vnode object cache;
• Async PUT (leveled);
• Removal of deprecated string functions from HTTP API;
• Riak Control 2.0;
• bitcask HEAD support;
• strategic documentation refresh (Issues with Riak documentation riak#6);
• Exemplar client (Erlang).

Riak 4.0.0 Release

Expected to be added:

• Merge Strategy Behaviour - https://github.com/orgs/OpenRiak/discussions/31 or Merge Strategy Behavior riak_kv#67;
• Automation of External REPL via REST API (stretch target, probably defer to 4.2.0);
• Extended Query API (including MGET_IF) - https://github.com/orgs/OpenRiak/discussions/34;
• Head request path - Feature Proposal: Proper HEAD Request Path riak_kv#41;
• Tiered storage in leveled - https://github.com/orgs/OpenRiak/discussions/29;
• TTL Bucket Properties (stretch target, probably defer to 4.2.0) - https://github.com/orgs/OpenRiak/discussions/28;;
• Jobs;
• Stats update (flo nightingale or exometer +);
• End-to-end TLS (by default?);
• Zero-legacy simple Python/Java/Elixir clients (exemplar client in 3.4.1 as template).

Expected removal of (2 nines probability):

• riak_ensemble;
• riak_pipe;
• riak_kv_mrc*;
• eleveldb/leveldb;
• sext;
• hyper;
• dtrace support;
• mochiglobal;
• kv_index_hashtree;
• mochijson;
• exometer_core;
• GET/PUT FSM details.

Probable removal of (1 nines probability):

• webmachine/mochiweb;
• handoff_listener;
• memory backend (assuming no fixes to Memory Backend - Inefficiency riak_kv#45 and QueryAPI);
• canola;
• redbug;
• poolboy;
• All APIs except Object, Query and AAEFold.

Possible removal:

• sidejob;
• riak_sysmon;
• riak_dt (probably maintained but disconnected - there to ease backwards-compatible merge-strategy development);
• riak_repl (most likely 4.2);
• gen_fsm.

Deprecation/restrictions:

• Deprecation of riak_pb api;
• Restriction of multi-backend to use with bitcask.

OpenRiak QuickDocs

The aim of QuickDocs is to provide a tactical answer to the documentation of Riak 3.4, without delaying the release timetable. This should offer more time for the strategic effort of overhauling the documentation to be made available and subjected to review.

Targets for OpenRiak QuickDocs are:

• Novella size (17K to 40K words) not book size;
  • keep to 8-10 chapters to ease review, using already reviewed content where possible,
  • should be readable from top to bottom, not reliant on navigation
• Focus on describing Riak 3.4 as-is;
• Assume knowledge to improve brevity;
  • "Teach a man to fish"; avoid verbatim instructions that may be brittle to change
• May be abandoned in 3.4.1 (replaced by strategic work), or maintained as a complimentary resource.

Initial work on 8 chapters, is in riak_kv/docs (openriak-3.4 branch). Jumping point from Readme - https://github.com/OpenRiak/riak_kv/tree/openriak-3.4?tab=readme-ov-file#quick-docs

• InitialDesignDecisions.md
• InstallandStartGuide.md
• BuildAndScaleClusterGuide.md
• NextGenReplGuide
• ObjectAPI.md
• QueryAPI.md
• OtherAPI.md
• OperationsAndTroubleshootingGuide.md
• RiakTheoryGuide.md

Two stages to review, content review, then presentation review:

• For minor quibbles spelling mistakes etc; collate and just raise an issue.
• For significant changes/additions raise an issue, then a PR.
• Presentation review, assumed biggest need may be diagram; the intention is to use a presentation mechanism compatible with mermaid, so please prepare PRs with mermaid (not images).

[aef-]

• Could we add FSM details for deprecation in 3.4 and for removal in 4.0 with the addition of distributed tracing?
• Could we bump removing eleveldb/leveldb/riak_repl and related dependencies to 4.2? We'll be working on AAE and replication support in Bitcask starting next month. The goal isn't necessarily to keep these libs but to better align our roadmap with this one.

[martinsumner]

Not sure about bumping retirement of elevledb/leveldb further down the track. This was a priority to remove because of the ongoing build risk, and the long history of time being lost to fixing these issues.

Is this to continue running riak_kv_index_hashtree?

[aef-]

That's right -- realistically, we're not going to remove eleveldb until we decide what direction we want to go with AAE. That said, we should know this by the time 3.4 is released so perhaps we can discuss this point again then.

[martinsumner]

Update for 3rd December (monthly Erlef Riak meetup).

The deadline for 3rd December covered:

• (1) PRs to be accepted in Riak 3.4 (PR must be reviewed and merged to openriak-3.4);
• (2) Write-up of any Riak 4.0 Proposals on OpenRiak/Discussions;
• (3) Presentation draft of Riak QuickDocs (ExDoc otherwise JTT/JTD/GHP or Minimal/native-GHP).
• (4) Content-only PR window for Riak QuickDocs 3.4 closed
• (5) Presentation PR window for Riak QuickDocs 3.4 open

Update:

(1)

• There are a couple of PRs still in the final stages of review, so PR deadline has been extended to 5th December
• Any issues with remaining PRs, please raise in the December meetup

(2)

• There have been no further write-ups, so scope for 4.0 will be as documented last month.
• Is there a need for a follow-up discussion on any items?

(3)

• There is now a presentation draft of Riak QuickDocs available, will be shared in December meetup.
• There are two issues open on GH related to this - Convert QuickDocs to use ExDoc riak_kv#86 and Add CI for QuickDocs - basic verification riak_kv#87. Are there volunteers to look at this work?

(4)

• Window closed

(5)

• Window open.
• A sample mermaid chart will be added by 8th December, to confirm that works. There are no visuals other than labels and callouts at present; so additional mermaid charts may be helpful to break-up the content.
• Unless there is strong consensus to change something, preference is to avoid presentation changes that are not configurable.
• Light-touch review process to be agreed for presentation changes to avoid PR review backlog over holiday season.

Other work planned for the next month:

• All OR repos to be switched to default to openriak-3.4.
• Initial openriak-4.0 branches to be started. Removal of ensemble/pipe/mr in first pass.
• work on merge strategy behaviour prototype to start.
• final test runs for 3.4.0 release
• Need for update to openriak.org to include pointer to new release announcement when ready.
• Revisit OTP 28 performance issue after recent fixes