Ghost Release: 5.94.1

TL;DR

Ghost 5.94.1: Enhanced Stats UI, ActivityPub Replies, and Stripe Webhook Refactoring

This minor release brings significant improvements to the Stats page UI with better formatting and visual refinements, adds support for ActivityPub replies in the notifications tab, refactors the Stripe webhook controller for better maintainability, and includes several translation updates. The release also contains performance optimizations for the build process and fixes for member tracking and avatar display issues.

Highlight of the Release

• Significant UI improvements to the Stats page with better formatting, typography, and visual refinements
• Added ActivityPub reply handling in the notifications tab for better social interaction
• Refactored Stripe webhook controller for improved maintainability and test coverage
• Fixed editor saving issues that could cause silent failures in rare circumstances
• Added several new translations and improved existing ones

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this release. The update can be applied directly without any special considerations.

If you're using Docker for local development, note that the MySQL data will now persist between container restarts due to the added data volume. You can still reset all data using yarn docker:reset if needed.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a minor release with several UI improvements, bug fixes, and performance optimizations. It's recommended for all users to upgrade to benefit from the improved Stats UI, ActivityPub reply handling, and various bug fixes.

The upgrade should be straightforward with no breaking changes. As always, it's recommended to backup your database before upgrading.

Bug Fixes

Editor and UI Fixes

• Fixed missing initials on staff invites' avatars in Settings/Staff
• Fixed formatting error on the Stats page that was causing KPIs to be displayed incorrectly
• Fixed errors from 404 error handler for non-transition 404s
• Improved error handling and messaging when editor encounters saving problems
• Fixed editor saving issues that could cause silent failures in rare circumstances
• Fixed the rendering of object attachments in ActivityPub
• Fixed hostname check for reply notifications in ActivityPub
• Updated buttons for share modal and post analytics in dark mode with correct colors and hover states
• Improved optical (vertical) alignment for onboarding

Other Fixes

• Fixed nested Replies line placement in ActivityPub
• Fixed TypeScript types being cached by Nx

New Features

ActivityPub Reply Support

• Added reply handling to the notifications tab of the admin-x-activitypub app
• Implemented nested comment rendering to view replies to posts and replies to replies
• Added basic navigation stack for comments to allow users to navigate between comments
• Updated ActivityPub Feed and Replies design with improved visuals and activity icons

Stats UI Enhancements

• Improved number formatting across all stats displays
• Added "See all" links in Content/Sources/Locations sections
• Added country flags for location values
• Fixed typography inconsistencies in table headings
• Unified chart section headings and improved spacing
• Adjusted KPI tab colors for better visibility

Feature Flagging System

• Added commentImprovements feature flag toggle
• Added Labs properties to the Content Settings API endpoint
• Implemented a useLabs hook for accessing feature flags from anywhere in the Comments UI

Other Improvements

• Added help pages to Portal links for "Not receiving emails" and "Disabled emails"
• Added the ability to run browser tests using local Portal
• Added MySQL data volume to docker compose for persistent local databases

Security Updates

No significant security fixes were included in this release.

Performance Improvements

Build Process Optimizations

• Added GHOST_CDN_URL env var to Nx cache inputs to prevent unnecessary rebuilds
• Configured outputs for Admin build step to improve Nx cache restoration
• Tidied up monobundle output for better readability
• Fixed TS types being cached by Nx for faster builds

Member Tracking Optimization

• Added caching to LastSeenAtUpdater to reduce database queries
• Implemented in-memory cache to avoid updating member's last_seen_at timestamp multiple times per day
• Reduced contention for locks on the member's row in the members table

Docker Improvements

• Added MySQL data volume to docker compose to persist data between container restarts
• Removed unused jaeger container from docker compose to reduce resource consumption

Impact Summary

Ghost 5.94.1 brings notable improvements to the user experience with enhanced Stats UI, ActivityPub reply support, and various bug fixes. The refactoring of the Stripe webhook controller improves code maintainability and test coverage, while performance optimizations in the build process and member tracking will benefit developers and site performance.

For content creators, the fixes to editor saving issues prevent potential silent failures that could lead to lost work. Administrators will appreciate the improved Stats page with better formatting and visual refinements, as well as fixed avatar displays for staff invites.

International users benefit from new and improved translations in Vietnamese, Russian, Serbian Cyrillic, and Portuguese. Overall, this release focuses on enhancing the user experience, fixing bugs, and improving performance across the platform.

Full Release Notes