release of the platform , providing a self-sufficient solution for organizing collaboration among employees and teams developing various projects. At the same time The underlying cloud platform of Nextcloud Hub 20 allows the deployment of cloud storage with synchronization and data sharing support, enabling data viewing and editing from any device anywhere in the network (via a web interface or WebDAV). The Nextcloud server can be deployed on any hosting that supports PHP script execution and provides access to SQLite, MariaDB/MySQL, or PostgreSQL. The source code of Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL.
In terms of functionality, Nextcloud Hub resembles Google Docs and Microsoft 365 but allows you to deploy a fully controlled collaboration infrastructure that operates on your own servers and is not tied to external cloud services. Nextcloud Hub combines several addon applications over the Nextcloud cloud platform, enabling collaboration on office documents, files, and information for task and event planning. The platform also includes add-ons for accessing email, messaging, organizing video conferences, and chats.
User authentication can both via the local database and through integration with LDAP / Active Directory, Kerberos, IMAP, and Shibboleth / SAML 2.0, including the use of two-factor authentication, SSO (Single Sign-On), and linking new systems to accounts via QR codes. Version control of changes allows for tracking modifications to files, comments, sharing rules, and tags.
The main components of the Nextcloud Hub platform:
- — organization of storage, synchronization, collaboration, and file sharing. Access can be achieved both through the Web and using client software for desktop and mobile systems. Advanced features include full-text search, file attachment in comments, selective access control, and the creation of password-protected links for downloads. with external storage (FTP, CIFS/SMB, SharePoint, NFS, Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.).
- — optimizes business processes through automation of routine tasks, such as converting documents to PDF, sending messages in chats when new files are uploaded to specific directories, and automatically assigning tags. Custom handlers can be created to execute actions tied to specific events.
- for collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations based on the , supporting Microsoft Office formats. Full integration of ONLYOFFICE with the other components of the platform is ensured, so multiple users can edit a single document simultaneously while discussing changes in a video chat and leaving notes.
- Photos — an image gallery that simplifies searching, sharing, and navigating through a collaborative collection of photos and images.
Supports ranking of photos by time, location, tags, and viewing frequency. - — a scheduling calendar that allows you to coordinate meetings, plan chats, and video conferences. Integration is provided with group work tools based on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Outlook, and Thunderbird. Events can be imported from external resources that support the WebCal protocol.
- — a shared address book and web interface for managing email. Multiple accounts can be linked to a single inbox. Email encryption and digital signatures based on OpenPGP are supported. Address book synchronization is possible via CalDAV.
- — a messaging system and web conference tool (chat, audio, and video). It supports groups, allows screen sharing, and supports SIP gateways for integration with traditional telephony.
Key Innovations in Nextcloud Hub 20:
- Work has been done to enhance integration with third-party platforms, both proprietary (Slack, MS Online Office Server, SharePoint, MS Teams, Jira, and GitHub) and open-source (Matrix, Gitlab, Zammad, Moodle). An open REST API has been used for integration , designed to facilitate collaboration between platforms for content work. Three types of integrations have been proposed:
- Bridges between Nextcloud Talk chats and services such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Matrix, IRC, XMPP, and Steam;
- Unified search, covering external bug tracking systems (Jira, Zammad), collaborative development platforms (Github, Gitlab), learning management systems (Moodle), forums (Discourse, Reddit), and social networks (Twitter, Mastodon);
- Triggering handlers from external applications and web services.
- A new dashboard has been proposed, where widgets can be placed to directly open documents without invoking external applications. Widgets provide means for integration with external services such as Twitter, Jira, GitHub, Gitlab, Moodle, Reddit, and Zammad, displaying status, weather forecasts, favorites, chat lists, important emails, calendar events, tasks, notes, and analytical data.
- A unified search system has been implemented, allowing users to view search results in one place not only from Nextcloud components (Files, Talk, Calendar, Contacts, Deck, Mail) but also from external services like GitHub, Gitlab, Jira, and Discourse.
- In Talk Support for connecting to other platforms. For example, rooms in Talk can now be linked to one or more channels in Matrix, IRC, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Additionally, Talk offers an emoji picker interface, preview for uploads, camera and microphone settings, scrolling to the original message when clicking a quote, and moderator mute features for participants. Modules have been provided for integrating Talk with the dashboard and unified search.
- Notifications and actions have been consolidated into a single screen.
- A feature has been added to define one's status, allowing others to see what the user is currently doing.
- The calendar planner now includes a list view for events, redesigned formatting, and modules for integration with the dashboard and unified search.
- The email interface has implemented a threaded view for discussions, improved namespace handling in IMAP, and added tools for mailbox management.
- The Flow component for optimizing business processes now supports push notifications and allows linking to other web applications via webhooks.
- The text editor has added support for setting direct links to files in Nextcloud.
- The file manager now allows attaching descriptions to links to shared resources.
- Integration with Zimbra LDAP has been implemented, and an LDAP backend for the address book has been added (allowing viewing of an LDAP group as an address book).
- In the project planning system Deck, integration with the dashboard, search, and calendar has been established (projects can be transferred in CalDAV format). Filter capabilities have been expanded. A modal dialog for editing cards has been implemented, and a function for archiving all cards has been added.
Source: opennet.ru
