Every new Vaadin release comes packed with a selection of enhancements and improvements. But have you ever wondered how the Vaadin team decides which features to include?
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the process behind feature selection, explain how you can get involved, and showcase two specific examples from the recent Vaadin 24.5 release.
Our approach to release planning
When planning the content for each release, we draw from two main sources that shape its direction and features: our platform strategy and our community’s input.
The platform strategy provides high-level guidance, focusing on larger initiatives and epics, like the Hilla framework and Control Center. Delivering capabilities at this scale often spans multiple releases and, in some cases, may evolve into standalone products.
Community-driven enhancements vary widely, from small pull requests to significant, sponsored features that build on existing capabilities. These smaller updates flow into the platform continuously; as they’re completed, they’re added to the upcoming release.
See what’s already planned for the next release on the Vaadin roadmap.
With every Vaadin release, we aim to balance our long-term strategic goals with valuable insights and contributions from our community, whether through code, feedback, or feature requests.
In the next section, we’ll dive into how you can get involved in this process and make your voice heard.
How to get involved
We highly value community feedback and contributions. When a feature is widely requested or a recurring pain point is identified, it often influences our future releases. Here are some common ways you can share feature requests, get involved, and make an impact on the Vaadin platform:
Pull requests
We welcome everyone to submit pull requests to the Vaadin repositories! Before you begin, we recommend creating a GitHub ticket to discuss your idea with us, ensuring it aligns with our product vision before development starts. Please follow our best practices and our contribution guidelines to help keep the review process smooth and efficient.
Feature sponsorship and warranty
If you need a feature added quickly, your company can sponsor it as a mini-project with Vaadin. This lets you fund specific feature development, often completed as fixed-price projects with a guarantee. Small features can start promptly, sometimes finished within hours, making it the fastest and most reliable way to get the updates you need. For more information, please contact us.
Need a quick bug fix? If you're on Vaadin Prime or higher, our warranty has you covered across all our products—frameworks, components, and tools. Just flag the bug, and we'll prioritize it to ensure it's resolved in the next possible release so your apps keep running smoothly. Got questions? Just reach out, and we're here to help!
Feature requests on GitHub
If there's a specific feature you'd like to see in Vaadin, you can create a new feature request on GitHub or show your support for an existing request by giving it a thumbs-up. While we don't strictly prioritize features based on upvotes alone, a high number of upvotes signals strong community interest, which can increase the likelihood of the feature being considered in upcoming releases.
Vaadin Forum
The Vaadin Forum is a great place to discuss potential new features with the community before submitting a request on GitHub. Engaging in forum discussions can help you explore existing solutions and discover if there's already a way to achieve what you need. Our team actively participates in these conversations, so if a topic gains significant attention, it can still influence our priorities. However, when you're ready to formally request a new feature, GitHub is the most reliable path for tracking and visibility.
Enhancements in Vaadin 24.5: Community-driven and sponsored examples
Vaadin 24.5 introduced a mix of strategic improvements and community-driven enhancements. Here are two standout examples that demonstrate both sides of the decision-making process.
- Popover Component (Sponsored feature): The Popover component was introduced in Vaadin 24.5, thanks to support from feature sponsorship. While it was already on our team’s radar, additional support helped prioritize its development. Sponsoring features gives organizations a way to influence which components Vaadin focuses on, creating a collaborative approach that accelerates the release of high-demand features.
- Content Security Policy (Sponsored feature): Another important addition in Vaadin 24.5 is the Content Security Policy (CSP) functionality for Flow, sponsored by a Vaadin user.
- Grid empty state (Community-driven): The new Grid empty state feature is a great example of community-driven enhancements making it into our releases. With 22 thumbs-up on GitHub, it’s clear this was something users wanted, and we’re thrilled to deliver it! Thanks to everyone who shared their feedback to make Vaadin even better.
- Vaadin Copilot (Strategic initiative): Vaadin Copilot is a great example of our strategic decision-making in balancing powerful new tools with community-driven enhancements in our releases. Developed to boost developer productivity, Copilot combines visual editing with live code updates so you can make changes directly in your app without giving up control over your code. Its AI assistance handles repetitive tasks and enables real-time editing, helping you work more efficiently and, ultimately, build better Java web apps faster! Try Copilot today →
Final thoughts
Vaadin’s feature selection process combines strategic planning with valuable input from our community. Whether you’re submitting pull requests, upvoting GitHub tickets, or sharing feature ideas in the Vaadin Forum, there are plenty of ways to shape Vaadin’s future. Who knows? The next big feature might be something you helped bring to life.
If you haven’t already, take Vaadin 24.5 for a spin!