RethinkDB 1.4 (Some Like it Hot) is out. This release includes an improved wire protocol, updated drivers, support for query history in the data explorer, and a brand-new build system. It contains well over 100 bug fixes, features, and improvements (you can see the complete list of closed issues on Github).

The improved wire protocol and updated drivers

The improved wire protocol has been in the works for over two months, and makes writing client drivers for new languages significantly easier. RethinkDB supports Ruby, Python, and Javascript, and there are community contributed drivers for Haskell, C, and Go. The new protocol will make it even easier to add new languages–so far the most requested include PHP, .NET and Java. If you’re interested in helping, contact @mlucy or @wmrowan.

In the process of implementing the new protocol we’ve also rewritten the official Python, Ruby and Node.js drivers. We used this opportunity to incorporate the feedback we’ve received from our users.

Read more about the many changes to ReQL for the Ruby, Python, and Javascript drivers for all the details.

Data explorer: query history and suggestion improvements

The easiest way to talk about the new features of the data explorer is a screenshot:

Starting with this version, the data explorer maintains a history of the queries run. Past queries can be re-run with just two clicks, and the history is saved in the browser storage (and is persistent across sessions).

The code completion popup got a couple of improvements as well: API parameters are showed at the top, database and table names are more readable, and the suggester doesn’t pop up in unexpected places. Oh, and you no longer need to type .run() at the end of your queries.

Building from source and Homebrew builds

While we continue to work on providing more binary distributions, for some users building from source remains the only solution for installing RethinkDB on their platform. Many people pointed out that the RethinkDB build system had a lot to be desired, so @atnnn rewrote it from scratch. Take a look at the improved build instructions and give the build system a try!

The Mac OS X got a binary distribution with the previous release, but we’ve also worked on improving the Homebrew formula.

There are many other improvements that we would like to brag about, but we think that downloading the new version would provide more useful and pleasant details about RethinkDB 1.4.