Eclipse Arrowhead v5.0 Released; Stronger, Smarter, More Secure

The Eclipse Arrowhead project has released version 5.0, a major new generation of the Arrowhead Framework. Arrowhead v5.0 introduces significant advancements in security, orchestration, and interoperability, strengthening its role as a reference implementation for secure and scalable system-of-systems integration in Industry 4.0 and IoT.

🔑 Key Highlights of Arrowhead v5.0

Enhanced Security & Authentication

  • Clear separation between authentication and secure communication
  • Expanded authentication policies and configurable security levels.
  • More flexible management of secure and declared Local Clouds

ServiceRegistry Improvements

  • Transition to a service–operation model (one service = multiple operations)
  • Introduction of semantic versioning for systems and services
  • Support for complex String–Object metadata structures
  • Clear distinction between system address and service access address
  • Detailed interface representation laying the foundation for automatic data model and protocol translation support.

Authorization Updates

  • Renamed to ConsumerAuthorization
  • Shift from peer-to-peer rules to policy-based authorization
  • Support for multiple authorization token types, including simple and self-contained variants

Orchestration Modularization

  • Previous orchestration strategies split into independent Core Systems:
    • SimpleStoreServiceOrchestration
    • FlexibleStoreServiceOrchestration
    • DynamicServiceOrchestration
  • New subscription-based, push type of orchestration

Governance Enhancements

  • Management services now available to multiple authorized entities
  • Extended flexibility in assigning the System Operator role

Network Communication

  • Built in MQTT protocol support in addition to the default HTTP, enabling lightweight and scalable system-to-cloud and system-to-system communication.

⚠️ Migration from v4 to v5Arrowhead v5 is not backward compatible with v4. To ensure a smooth transition, a comprehensive Migration Guideline has been prepared, covering:

  • Updating insecure and secure Local Cloud deployments
  • Applying new naming conventions and entity identifiers
  • Migrating ServiceRegistry, SystemRegistry, and DeviceRegistry operations
  • Transitioning to the new orchestration systems


📅 Release Timeline

  • Core Systems & Blacklist Support System: released on 07 August 2025
  • TranslationManager: Planned release 25 September 2025
  • QoS Evaluator: Planned release 15 November 2025

🚀 Get StartedTo explore Arrowhead v5.0:

About Eclipse Arrowhead:

Eclipse Arrowhead provides a framework for secure and efficient interoperability in large-scale, distributed, and heterogeneous environments. It enables scalable system-of-systems integration in line with Industry 4.0 and IoT requirements.