Nextcloud Hub 26 Winter boosts migration & federation

Nextcloud has released Hub 26 Winter, updating its self-hosted collaboration suite with a redesigned file access layer, expanded migration tools and new federation options for cross-organisation teamwork.

The Stuttgart-based open-source company positions Hub as an alternative to collaboration suites that rely on centralised cloud services. Nextcloud is used for file sharing, document editing, chat and video calls, as well as email, calendars and contacts, through a mix of web, mobile and desktop apps.

"Since the beginning of Nextcloud ten years ago, our core principle has always been clear: organisations and individuals keep ownership of their data instead of moving into a vendor-controlled ecosystem," said Frank Karlitschek, CEO and founder of Nextcloud.

"And the increasing adoption proves us right. Millions of digital workplaces with Nextcloud are rolled out every year, and we are picking up even more speed. With the latest release, we further improve flexibility and usability for collaboration, communication and teamwork while ensuring privacy and control," Karlitschek said.

Migration changes

Hub 26 Winter expands Nextcloud's migration tools and enables them by default. The migration app now offers broader export and import coverage than in previous releases.

The migration app now supports Mail, Contacts and Calendars, as well as Tables and data from Deck, the project management app in the Nextcloud ecosystem.

Nextcloud frames the changes as part of a push against vendor lock-in. Hub can run on premises, in a private cloud, or through a service provider chosen by the customer.

Federation updates

Hub 26 Winter extends federation features across more applications. Federation allows users on separate Nextcloud servers to share and collaborate without moving everyone into the same system.

Deck can now share boards across servers for external participation. Outside participants can browse boards, add cards, or create stacks.

Calendar federation adds cross-server visibility of events in shared calendars. Hub 26 Winter also allows project teams to be created across users from different organisations, using existing Nextcloud identities rather than new accounts.

Nextcloud positions the feature set as a way for organisations to collaborate with partners without consolidating infrastructure. It also argues that federation reduces the need to duplicate user directories across organisations.

New core

The centrepiece of the release is a rewrite of the advanced file access layer, which Nextcloud calls the ADA engine. The engine is written in PHP, Go and Rust.

Nextcloud also changed database and file system behaviour as part of the work. It presents the new layer as a response to the demands of larger deployments, where performance and responsiveness can affect day-to-day usability.

ADA is short for Accelerated Direct Access, and the name also references Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer often described as the first computer programmer.

Nextcloud says the changes reduce unnecessary load and latency across common product areas, including Photos, Nextcloud Talk, AI features and client applications.

The new architecture reduces the resources required for generating previews in Photos by 40% to 90%, and speeds up fetching of sharing data in Nextcloud Talk by 20%.

On AI functions, Hub 26 Winter delivers faster responses in local AI apps. Nextcloud says users can save up to 10 seconds per prompt, and that local AI transcription runs five to eight times faster.

The release also includes updates across Nextcloud Files, Office, Whiteboard, Talk and Nextcloud Assistant, along with improvements to the mobile and desktop clients.

Nextcloud competes in a market dominated by cloud-first productivity platforms and workplace messaging tools. Its focus on self-hosting and data residency has appealed to organisations with stricter security, sovereignty and compliance requirements, including public sector bodies and regulated industries.

Adoption of private collaboration platforms has also increased as organisations reassess how widely they share data with third-party providers. Nextcloud has argued that control over where software runs remains a key requirement for customers that need to manage data access, retention and auditability.

Nextcloud says it remains fully employee-owned and has grown organically since it was founded in 2016. Hub 26 Winter continues the company's push for decentralised collaboration, adding more features for work across organisational boundaries.

"Millions of digital workplaces with Nextcloud are rolled out every year, and we are picking up even more speed," Karlitschek said.