HashiCorp has announced Boundary 0.16, an update that simplifies connecting to target infrastructure, improves search and filtering, and adds MinIO compatibility.
Boundary is an access management tool designed to securely connect users to critical systems and services without exposing the underlying network. It provides a scalable and secure way to handle access by authenticating and authorising users and then brokering connections based on user policies and permissions. The new version includes new functionality such as custom resource aliases, additional storage options for session recordings with MinIO and improved search and filtering.
Custom Resource Aliases
One of the key new features in Boundary 0.16 is the introduction of aliases, which are available across all editions. This feature simplifies connecting to target resources by allowing users to assign custom names to these resources. Previously, users had to remember or look up target IDs when using the Boundary CLI to establish connections. With aliases, users can now use easily recognisable and memorable names instead of numeric IDs.
On-Premises Storage with MinIO
Boundary 0.16 also expands its storage options for session recordings by integrating MinIO as a backend storage solution. Before this release, Amazon S3 was the only available storage option for session recordings, which may not have been an option for organisations in regulated industries that may restrict the use of public cloud services. MinIO is a high-performance, Amazon S3-compatible object store that can be deployed on any infrastructure.
Session recording allows organisations to record end-user SSH sessions, providing valuable data for post-incident analysis and deterrence against inappropriate behaviour. This feature is available in both the HCP Boundary cloud-managed service and the self-managed HashiCorp Boundary Enterprise edition.
Enhanced Search and Filtering
Boundary 0.16 has new search capabilities in the admin UI, available across all editions. The enhanced search function lets administrators quickly locate resources and includes pagination support, improving performance when handling large numbers of resources. The enhanced search functionality covers Boundary resources, including scopes, targets, sessions, users, groups, roles, auth methods, host catalogues, and credential stores.
In response to customer feedback, Boundary 0.16 also introduces several other features, including giving administrators the option to apply updates to Boundary itself within the first 30 days of the release of a new version, adding session recording metadata within audit logs to enhance compliance, and adding a correlation ID to all Vault API requests so users can correlate Boundary and HashiCorp Vault audit events when credentials are injected into a session from a Vault credential store.
Users are encouraged to visit the Boundary changelog for a comprehensive list of changes. Administrators can start using the new features in Boundary 0.16 by deploying a HashiCorp-managed Boundary cluster through the HashiCorp Cloud Platform (HCP) or using the Community or Enterprise editions for self-managed clusters.