Nextcloud is a world-class, open-source, on-premise cloud solution and the latest iteration (v21) is even grander since it is all about collaboration, which is exactly what businesses of all sizes need at the moment. With the current scenario where more people are working from home, and more companies are trying to save money, Nextcloud can prove to be an ideal tool. Over the years, besides just providing a great cloud-based file server, Nextcloud has been doing a lot more by adding more features. These features include built-in video-conferencing, group meeting services, etc.

The latest version: Nextcloud 21, is no exception and it features a new, optional Rust-based high-performance backend for files that will help you reduce server load from desktop clients and web interface polling to a great extent. Not only this, but it will also deliver instant notifications and file changes to users.

Here are the new additions to the Nextcloud:

Let’s explore the top five new additions to Nextcloud further with the blog.

1.   Performance Increase

The latest release helped the developers see the need for at-scale deployments. Nextcloud performs quite well by offering smaller use-cases and as the deployment sizes start to venture into the enterprise level, the performance starts to degrade very quickly. The team at Nextcloud had to carefully analyse the application and caching server, storage, and database behaviour, in order to significantly reduce the impact of common operations.

The developers at Nextcloud came up with a solution and went back to the drawing board to rewrite entirely the Files component back-end in Rust. As a result, they were able to achieve a 10x performance increase with the Files tool. This newly rewritten backend offers an optional installation i.e., when you install the Nextcloud 21, you won’t be getting the enterprise-capable performance increase.

2.   Push Notifications

It is yet another major issue that is centred around large-scale deployments, where many users are working and collaborating with each other within the Nextcloud itself. Previous versions of the Nextcloud cloud solution only allowed the users to periodically check the server to see if any files had been changed. But in contrast, Nextcloud 21 enables push notifications to users so that they can mitigate the need for the clients while manually checking for changes.

This must be installed manually just like the Rust back-end. Here’s how you can enable push notifications:

• First, you need to install the Client Push app from the Nextcloud app store.
• Then you must install and configure the Redis.
• Now, you need to run the command from within the Nextcloud document root.
• In the end, just simply answer the questions presented by the OCC command.

3.   Responsive Interface

The latest version of Nextcloud no longer supports PHP 7.x. It offers better performance since it brings PHP 8 compatibility and improvements to app loading and database queries, specifically how it handles text, object storage, and LDAP group.

It all leads to a desktop user interface that feels twice as responsive as earlier versions. It also introduces new client preview features along with the optimized and unified search for various apps that will also result in more responsive mobile clients.

Put all the improvements together and you will get the database performance, file handling, and app-specific speed-ups in addition to the high-speed backend.

4.   Improved SaaS Features

Nextcloud 21 has some highly advanced improvements to its SaaS features. For instance, Nextcloud Hub 21 has introduced a collaborative Whiteboard app to improve team coordination, enabling the users to draw, take notes and upload images during a call or on their own.

Another fascinating feature: this latest version also introduces the author colours in the Text, making it easier to track activity when you are having a collaborative editing session. Also, the addition of Document Templates will also speed up the creation of frequently needed documents such as meeting notes or reports.

Nextcloud Talk also brings a brand-new feature of message status indicators, a raise hand feature, a group conversation description with improved call experience in case of collapsible video bar, and full-screen sharing in addition to reduced CPU usage. Its improved conversation view with bigger image previews, animated GIF support, and easily accessible settings acts as the cherry on the top.

5.   Nextcloud Mail

Nextcloud Mail comes with drag and drops support with configurable special folders and improved threaded view along with updated attachment handling.

Administrators will now be able to configure attachment limits in Mail. The same can be used by you to enforce Nextcloud share link usage. You can even retrieve avatars automatically from social media networks via the Contacts app.

Also Read: Nextcloud: An alternative to Dropbox & Google Drive

Nextcloud Comparison Blog

Endnote

Users were eagerly waiting for these improvements and the release of Nextcloud Hub early in 2020 tripled the download rate of Nextcloud while doubling the lead flow, showing strong interest in the market. These numbers escalated even more during March and April 2020 since many organizations used Nextcloud to enable remote working because of the lockdown.

At the end of the day, public clouds may get the bulk of user attention, but these new features in Nextcloud show that private clouds are equally worthy. Connect with SNDK Corp for more information.