The release of the OpenCloud 8.0 platform has been published, allowing users to deploy a system for file sharing and collaborative content work on their own server. The project is presented as an open alternative to proprietary systems like Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox, compliant with the GDPR regulation in effect in the European Union.
The project is based on a fork of the OCIS (ownCloud Infinite Scale) platform. Unlike the old ownCloud codebase and its forked project NextCloud, the server side of OCIS has been rewritten from PHP to Go. The creators of OpenCloud aimed to eliminate unnecessary functionality from the codebase and focus on delivering high-quality core tasks — collaborative file work.
The server side is written in Go, distributed under the Apache 2.0 license, and supports software interfaces such as WebDAV, gRPC, Microsoft RESTful Web API Graph, OCS, OCM 1.1, and OpenID Connect. The server is implemented using a microservices concept and can scale from installation on Raspberry Pi boards to large-scale deployments.serverThe desktop client is written in C++ using Qt, released under the GPLv3 license, and supports builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The client also includes file synchronization features and allows mounting shared storage as a virtual file system. The web interface is written in TypeScript using the Vue.js framework and is offered under the AGPLv3 license. Mobile applications are available for Android and iOS.
In addition to file storage and sharing functions, as well as synchronized access to file collections from different devices, OpenCloud includes capabilities for real-time document collaboration, integration with the Collabora Online office suite, a Markdown Editor (ToastUI), text extraction from images and scanned documents, and the use of the ICAP protocol for scanning uploaded files in antivirus packages.
In addition to file storage and sharing capabilities, as well as synchronized access to a collection of files from different devices, OpenCloud includes features for real-time document co-editing, integration with the Collabora Online office suite, and the Markdown Editor (ToastUI), text extraction from images and scanned documents, as well as using the ICAP protocol to check uploaded files against antivirus packages.
For published files, you can limit their lifespan, provide access via links, and protect content with passwords. To simplify file navigation, tags, filters, and full-text search are supported. The system tracks all file interactions and provides support for reverting changes to a specific version in the past. It is possible to organize teamwork by assigning subdirectories ("workspaces") to individual teams.
The administrator is provided with a detailed access rights and user management interface (for example, it is possible to allow a user only to view or only to upload to the storage). Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is supported. The platform uses a Privacy-First architecture, meaning that an OpenCloud user with administrator rights cannot access users' content.
In the new version:
- The text editor features the capability for simultaneous collaboration by multiple users on Markdown and ocnote files, reflecting changes in real-time. Users can now be connected in view-only mode, allowing them to observe the document preparation.
- The search engine settings for Bleve and OpenSearch are unified to produce similar results regardless of the search backend (the Bleve engine is suggested by default, but OpenSearch is also provided, which is better suited for large projects). Memory consumption when using the Bleve engine has been reduced (from 1.1 GB to 120 MB when indexing 100,000 files).
- Support for moving photos has been added, allowing previews on mouse hover or by pressing a button.
- Scrolling and thumbnail rendering have been accelerated for directories with a large number of images (1000+).
- The design of the password input, access denial warning, and confidential file upload pages has been updated.
- The possibility of using the system dialog for managing print output has been added, supporting export to PDF.
- A 'More actions' button has been added to the panel, which moves tools that do not fit within the width of the window.
- Syntax highlighting is implemented for 37 programming languages, including functionality within code blocks in Markdown files.
- Theme delivery is provided in the form of Docker images.
Source: opennet.ru
