As this year draws to a close, I wanted to revisit the Vaadin highlights for 2019. It was a busy year, full of releases and research.
Vaadin 14 brought increased stability and compatibility
The biggest event of 2019 was the long-awaited release of Vaadin 14. It came with feature parity similar to Vaadin 8 and a modernized build system.
Vaadin 14 is the latest Long Term Support (LTS) version. It'll be supported until 2024 and we’ll add features and fixes at least once a quarter.
Designer usability improvements
There were several highly-anticipated updates to Vaadin Designer in 2019. We overhauled the drag and drop canvas to make it easier to use, added a new layout editor, and enabled in-browser editing of layouts.
The new flex editor makes it easy to align and justify content.
The legendary Book of Vaadin made a comeback
After a brief hiatus, the Book of Vaadin is now back. While putting together the fresh Vaadin 14 edition, we also make a ton of improvements to the online documentation. Win-win.
New learning tracks and certifications
Just a few weeks ago, we updated the learning center to add training video tracks and certifications. You can now watch trainer-led video courses and earn certifications to show off your skills.
Researching the future at Vaadin Labs
Vaadin Labs hosts all kinds of experimental features that we're working on: you can try them out and let us know what you think before we decide whether to include them in the framework. We were busy this year, launching 12 different experiments.The first Labs feature, the project wizard, has already graduated and can now be found at start.vaadin.com.
Exciting times ahead in 2020
We already have a lot planned for next year. In addition to adding features to Vaadin 14, we are working on entirely new features for Vaadin.
TypeScript views in Vaadin
Vaadin 15 will add support for client-side views in TypeScript. They connect to your Java back end via Vaadin Services: a type-safe, asynchronous, and stateless communication link.
This new feature makes it easier for you to build offline functionality and collaborate with front end developers. Read more about TypeScript views in Vaadin.
Design systems, collaborative apps, and more
We're upgrading the Vaadin component set and turning it into a design system to make it even easier for you to build attractive apps with great UX.
We also want to make it easier for you to build collaborative app experiences in which multiple users can collaborate.
Read more about our 2020 plans on the roadmap page.