@Rocky Is there anything on the roadmap to upgrade the Netty version from 4.1 -> 4.2 or anyway I can help contributing to get this done?

Currently, there is no explicit entry on the public StarRocks roadmap specifically for upgrading Netty from 4.1 to 4.2. However, there are several relevant developments you should be aware of: * StarRocks v4.2 Roadmap: There is an active proposal and roadmap item for StarRocks v4.2 to upgrade the Java baseline from JDK 17 LTS to JDK 21 LTS (see GitHub Issue #74519). As part of this transition, the team is verifying that all "in-tree" dependencies (including Netty) are compatible with JDK 21. * Recent Activity: In the recently released versions (v4.0.x and v4.1), Netty has been kept on the 4.1 branch (e.g., bumped to

4.1.137.Final

) primarily to address security CVEs. * Netty 4.2 Context: Netty 4.2 (released in early 2025) introduces features like the

AdaptiveByteBufAllocator

as the new default and requires JDK 8+. Since StarRocks is moving toward JDK 21, a Netty 4.2 upgrade would align well with the modernization goals of the v4.2 release. How you can help: If you are interested in contributing this upgrade, here is the recommended path: 1. Check for existing PRs: Search the StarRocks GitHub Pull Requests for "Netty 4.2" to ensure no one has already started the work. 2. Open a Feature Request: If no issue exists, create a new issue on GitHub labeled

type/feature-request

. Highlight the benefits (e.g., performance improvements from the new allocator or better virtual thread support) and any potential breaking changes (like the change in default hostname verification in Netty 4.2). 3. Join the Slack: Head over to the #contributing-to-starrocks channel in the StarRocks community Slack. This is the best place to discuss the technical impact with maintainers before submitting a large PR, especially since Netty is a core dependency for the Frontend (FE) and external connectors. 4. Submit a PR: If the maintainers approve, you can submit a PR. Be prepared to perform thorough smoke tests on the FE-to-BE communication and any Java-based plugins/connectors. For more details on contributing, you can refer to the StarRocks Contribution Guide. References • administration/management/FE_configuration.md • administration/management/BE_configuration.md • administration/management/graceful_exit.md • deployment/environment_configurations.md • release_notes/release-4.0.md