Release v0.0.22

December 3, 2025 · 9 min read

Burgan Tech Engineering

🧭 Overview

This release introduces the powerful Cascade Cancel feature for subflows, enabling automatic cancellation of all related active jobs, tasks, and correlations when a main instance is canceled. Additionally, this release includes Inbox and Outbox Worker infrastructure, enhanced Function Filter capabilities, Instance ID and Key support across all endpoints, and significant improvements to Aspect/Trace/Logging architecture. Critical bug fixes for async validation and nested JSON path filtering are also included.

⚠️ Breaking Change: The subType property has been added to the state schema. You need to update your existing workflows.

🚀 Major Updates

1. Cascade Cancel for Subflows on Main Instance Cancellation

A new cancel transition definition has been introduced for workflows. When a cancel transition is executed, all active jobs, tasks, and correlations associated with the flow are automatically canceled in a cascading manner.

Key Features:

✅ Automatic cancellation of all active subflows when main instance is canceled
✅ Recursive cancellation for nested subflows
✅ Idempotent operation (safe for repeated cancel requests)
✅ Proper status propagation across workflow hierarchy
✅ Incident and error tracking for cascade cancellation events

Cancel Transition Definition:

{
  "cancel": {
    "key": "cancel-account-opening",
    "target": "cancelled",
    "triggerType": 0,
    "versionStrategy": "Minor",
    "labels": [
      {
        "language": "en-US",
        "label": "Cancel Account Opening"
      }
    ],
    "onExecutionTasks": [],
    "availableIn": []
  }
}

Cancellation Flow:

Main instance receives cancel request
All active subflows are identified
Cancel propagates recursively to nested subflows
Related tasks and correlations are canceled
Status updates are tracked for auditing

Benefits:

Ensures workflow consistency by preventing orphaned flows
Aligns with expected workflow lifecycle management
Provides comprehensive audit trail for cancellation events
Simplifies cleanup of complex workflow hierarchies

Documentation: See Cascade Cancel for Subflows for detailed implementation guide.

Reference: #62 - Feature: Cascade Cancel for Subflows on Main Instance Cancellation

2. Inbox and Outbox Worker Images (NEW - INFRA)

New worker images have been introduced for better message processing, performance optimization, data loss prevention, and unified contract-based system operations.

Architecture Overview:

Dapr PubSub Integration: Provides infrastructure isolation
Smart Message Routing: Attempts PubSub delivery first; falls back to message box on failure
Custom Hook Support: Execute hooks before PubSub; skip PubSub on successful hook completion (critical for sync processes)

Message Flow Strategy:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Message Processing Flow                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  1. Check for custom hook definition                        │
│     ├── If hook exists → Execute hook                       │
│     │   ├── Success → Skip PubSub (return)                 │
│     │   └── Failure → Continue to PubSub                   │
│  2. Attempt PubSub delivery                                 │
│     ├── Success → Message delivered                         │
│     └── Failure → Write to message box for retry           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Benefits:

Improved message delivery reliability
Better handling of synchronous processes
Infrastructure isolation through Dapr PubSub
Automatic retry mechanism via message box

3. Function Filter Enhancements

Extended Function endpoint with advanced filtering capabilities similar to the Data endpoint. All filter inputs are optional to ensure backward compatibility.

Key Improvements:

✅ Advanced filtering support on Function endpoint
✅ Optional filter inputs for backward compatibility
✅ Consistent filter syntax across endpoints

Reference: #54 - Function Filter Enhancements

4. Support Instance ID and Key in All Instance Endpoints

All instance endpoints now accept both InstanceId and Key for instance identification, providing more flexibility in API interactions.

Previous Behavior:

Only InstanceId (UUID) was accepted

New Behavior:

InstanceId OR Key can be used interchangeably

Example Usage:

Using Instance ID:

GET /core/workflows/order/instances/18075ad5-e5b2-4437-b884-21d733339113/data

Using Instance Key:

GET /core/workflows/order/instances/ORDER-2024-001/data

Benefits:

More readable and meaningful API calls
Easier integration with external systems using business keys
Consistent behavior across all instance-related endpoints

Reference: #140 - Support Instance ID and Key in All Instance Endpoints

5. Support for _comment Property in Visual Editors

The _comment property is now supported in both schema and runtime, enabling better documentation within workflow definitions for visual editors.

Example Usage:

{
  "key": "process-payment",
  "_comment": "This state handles payment processing and validation",
  "stateType": 1,
  "transitions": [...]
}

Benefits:

Enhanced workflow documentation
Better collaboration in visual editors
Self-documenting workflow definitions

Reference: #145 - Support for _comment Property in Visual Editors

6. Aspect/Trace/Logging Improvements

Significant architectural improvements have been made to code maintainability, refactoring, and organization through aspect-oriented architecture.

Key Improvements:

✅ Migration to aspect-oriented architecture for better code maintenance
✅ Span correlation in traces for better observability
✅ Reduced unnecessary log noise

7. Runtime Metadata Endpoint

A new endpoint has been added to expose runtime metadata for vnext tools and other system integrations.

Endpoint:

GET api/v1/config

Response:

{
  "version": "0.0.22",
  "domain": "core",
  "schemas": {
    "sys-flows": "sys_flows",
    ...
  }
}

Benefits:

Easy integration with vnext tools
Runtime version discovery
Schema information access

⚠️ Breaking Changes

State Schema - subType Property Added

The subType property has been added to the state schema. This change may affect your existing workflows.

Required Action:

Review state definitions in your existing workflows
Update subType definitions according to the documentation

Example Usage:

{
  "key": "waiting-approval",
  "stateType": 1,
  "subType": 1,
  "_comment": "Waiting for approval state"
}

Documentation: Workflow - Please update your workflows according to this documentation.

🛠️ Hotfix

Remove Live and Ready Endpoints from OpenTelemetry Traces

Health check endpoints (/live and /ready) are now excluded from OpenTelemetry traces to reduce noise in trace data.

Problem Resolved:

Health and metric endpoints were creating unnecessary trace noise
Frequent calls from orchestration systems (Kubernetes, Docker) added no business value to traces
Increased trace volume and storage costs

Solution:

Health, metric, and similar endpoints are now excluded from trace monitoring

Reference: #134 - Remove Live and Ready Endpoints from OpenTelemetry Traces

🧩 Bug Fixes

1. Async Operations Validation Fix (#170)

Fixed validation issues in async operations that prevented proper workflow progression.

Problem Resolved:

Validation problems in async operations caused workflow progression issues
Lock mechanism has been improved for better reliability

Impact:

Improved workflow execution reliability in async scenarios
Enhanced lock mechanism performance

Reference: #170 - Bug sync=true

2. Nested JSON Path Filtering and QueryParameter Propagation (#203)

Fixed issues with nested JSON path filtering and QueryParameter propagation to tasks.

Problem Resolved:

Nested JSON path filtering was not working correctly
QueryParameters were not properly propagated to tasks

Impact:

Correct filtering on nested JSON paths
Proper QueryParameter propagation across task executions

Reference: #203 - Fix nested JSON path filtering and QueryParameter propagation to tasks

🔧 Configuration Updates

Configuration for v0.0.22:

{
  "runtimeVersion": "0.0.22",
  "schemaVersion": "0.0.27"
}

🆕 Other Developments

Multi-Platform Support

Added multi-platform support for vnext-runtime (Podman, Docker, OrbStack, etc.)

vnext-cli Deprecation

vnext-cli tool has been moved to Legacy/Archived status
New projects should use vnext-template
Existing projects need migration for CI/CD and vnext tool compatibility

Migration Guide: See Migrating from vnext-cli to vnext-template

🧱 Issues Referenced

📘 Developer Notes

Migration Checklist

⚠️ Breaking Change: Update subType property in state definitions
Review workflows for cascade cancel implementation opportunities
Implement cancel transitions where workflow cleanup is needed
Update API calls to use Instance Key where appropriate for better readability
Consider using _comment property for workflow documentation
Migrate from vnext-cli to vnext-template for new projects
Update workflow definitions to schema version 0.0.27
Review and test async operations after lock mechanism improvements

New Capabilities to Explore

Cascade Cancel: Implement proper workflow cleanup with automatic subflow cancellation
Inbox/Outbox Workers: Leverage new message processing infrastructure for reliable delivery
Instance Key Usage: Switch to business keys for more readable API interactions
Runtime Metadata: Integrate with vnext tools using the new config endpoint
Multi-Platform: Deploy on Podman, OrbStack, or other container platforms

Infrastructure Updates

New Worker Images: inbox and outbox worker images are now available
Platform Support: Runtime now supports multiple container platforms beyond Docker

🧠 Summary

With this release: ⚠️ Breaking Change: subType property added to state schema - existing workflows need revision
✅ Cascade cancel ensures automatic cleanup of subflows and related resources
✅ New inbox and outbox worker infrastructure for reliable message processing
✅ Function filter enhancements with backward compatibility
✅ Instance ID and Key support across all instance endpoints
✅ _comment property support for better workflow documentation
✅ Aspect-oriented architecture for improved code maintainability
✅ Health endpoints excluded from OpenTelemetry traces
✅ Async validation and nested JSON path filtering bugs fixed
✅ Multi-platform container support (Podman, Docker, OrbStack)
✅ Runtime metadata endpoint for tool integrations
✅ vnext-template as the new standard for project setup

🔄 Upgrade Path

From v0.0.21 to v0.0.22:

Update Runtime:

# Update to v0.0.22
git pull origin master

Update Configuration:

{
  "runtimeVersion": "0.0.22",
  "schemaVersion": "0.0.27"
}

Implement Cascade Cancel (Optional):
- Add cancel transition definitions to workflows that need cleanup capabilities
- Define target state for canceled instances
- Configure labels and available states for cancel transition
Migrate from vnext-cli (If Applicable):
- Follow the migration guide
- Update CI/CD pipelines for vnext-template compatibility
Test Async Operations:
- Verify async workflow operations after lock mechanism improvements
- Test nested JSON path filtering scenarios
- Validate QueryParameter propagation in task executions
Deploy Worker Images (If Using Message Processing):
- Deploy new inbox and outbox worker images
- Configure Dapr PubSub components
- Set up message box for retry scenarios

vNext Runtime Platform Team
December 3, 2025

🧭 Overview​

🚀 Major Updates​

1. Cascade Cancel for Subflows on Main Instance Cancellation​

2. Inbox and Outbox Worker Images (NEW - INFRA)​

3. Function Filter Enhancements​

4. Support Instance ID and Key in All Instance Endpoints​

5. Support for _comment Property in Visual Editors​

6. Aspect/Trace/Logging Improvements​

7. Runtime Metadata Endpoint​

⚠️ Breaking Changes​

State Schema - subType Property Added​

🛠️ Hotfix​

Remove Live and Ready Endpoints from OpenTelemetry Traces​

🧩 Bug Fixes​

1. Async Operations Validation Fix (#170)​

2. Nested JSON Path Filtering and QueryParameter Propagation (#203)​

🔧 Configuration Updates​

🆕 Other Developments​

Multi-Platform Support​

vnext-cli Deprecation​

🧱 Issues Referenced​

📘 Developer Notes​

Migration Checklist​

New Capabilities to Explore​

Infrastructure Updates​

🧠 Summary​

🔄 Upgrade Path​

From v0.0.21 to v0.0.22:​

🧭 Overview

🚀 Major Updates

1. Cascade Cancel for Subflows on Main Instance Cancellation

2. Inbox and Outbox Worker Images (NEW - INFRA)

3. Function Filter Enhancements

4. Support Instance ID and Key in All Instance Endpoints

5. Support for _comment Property in Visual Editors

6. Aspect/Trace/Logging Improvements

7. Runtime Metadata Endpoint

⚠️ Breaking Changes

State Schema - subType Property Added

🛠️ Hotfix

Remove Live and Ready Endpoints from OpenTelemetry Traces

🧩 Bug Fixes

1. Async Operations Validation Fix (#170)

2. Nested JSON Path Filtering and QueryParameter Propagation (#203)

🔧 Configuration Updates

🆕 Other Developments

Multi-Platform Support

vnext-cli Deprecation

🧱 Issues Referenced

📘 Developer Notes

Migration Checklist

New Capabilities to Explore

Infrastructure Updates

🧠 Summary

🔄 Upgrade Path

From v0.0.21 to v0.0.22: