October 20, 2018
Traccar version 4.1 is available for download.
In past releases we has some problems with various database engines. For example, latest MySQL database was not compatible because of the new keywords in MySQL 8. In this version we focused on fixing those issues and simplifying initial database schema initialisation. Now Traccar should be compatible with latest versions of MySQL, PostgreSQL and other modern systems.
One of the most anticipated new features in this release is support for push notifications through Firebase. Documentation on this feature will be updated a bit later, but support is already included in both server and mobile apps.
We have implemented another big change under the hood by embedding Java runtime directly into installers. This means that we can use latest libraries and features of the language without fear of compatibility problems with outdated systems. Note that because of this change installers are now specific to CPU architecture. We have Linux 64 bit and ARM, and Windows 64 bit installers and same manual package as we has before. Mac OS installer has been dropped. We also no longer use service wrapper and Traccar process runs as service by itself, which means that we are no longer dependent on poorly maintained YAJSW project.
There are some good and bad news on the security front. Good news is that Traccar project has been pen-tested by Nick Blundell, who is an expert security researcher from AppCheck NG. Bad news is that some high severity issues were found in Traccar codebase. But good news is that fixes for all those issues are included in Traccar 4.1, so I would strongly recommend to upgrade as soon as possible. Details on the issues will be disclosed some time later to give people opportunity to upgrade their systems.
As usual, there are new protocols in this release. This version includes support for the following new GPS protocols:
There were also various small bug fixes and improvements to existing protocols.
Some of you may know that we have been working on the new version of the web app. It's not quite ready to be released yet, but a preview version should be available soon. Possibly with next release we will include it as an optinal alternative to the original web app.
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