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Apache Grails (Incubating) 7.0.0-RC2 - Release Announcement

By James Fredley

September 11, 2025

The Apache Grails (incubating) community is excited to announce the Milestone 7.0.0-RC2 release of the Grails Framework!
We encourage you to try this pre-release version and provide your feedback here.

Download Source Code and Binary Distributions

Apache Grails Downloads

What's Changed

For changes made in Grails 7 prior to 7.0.0-RC2, check out the following blog posts:

7.0.0-RC2 Changes:

  • org.apache.grails:grails-i18n has been changed to org.apache.grails.i18n:grails-i18n and is provided transitively, remove org.apache.grails:grails-i18n from your dependency list
  • Remove grails-forge unused docs generation and config @jamesfredley (#15041)
  • Update to Asset Pipeline 5.0.16 @jdaugherty (#15040)
  • Formatting helpers @matrei (#15034)
  • Remove deprecation warning for dot notation access @jamesfredley (#15035)
  • Add detailed documentation for standard Grails application profiles @jamesfredley (#15018)
  • Bump com.gradle.common-custom-user-data-gradle-plugin from 2.2.1 to 2.3 @dependabot[bot] (#14788)
  • Add profile support for Gradle dependency variants @jamesfredley (#15013)
  • Reformat code @matrei (#14925)
  • Update Feature info and Gradle templates @matrei (#14994)
  • Hide servlet features, should be selected via --servlet instead @jamesfredley (#15005)
  • Bump spring-boot and byte-buddy versions @matrei (#15006)
  • Update documentation and links to new GitHub and docs URLs @jamesfredley (#15003)
  • Remove embedded-mongodb feature and references @jamesfredley (#15004)
  • Remove grails-forge documentation guide @jamesfredley (#15000)
  • Cleanup broken documentation links, update links which have changed, standardize link syntax @jamesfredley (#14988)
  • Remove springloaded forge feature, it only works with JDK 8 or less @jamesfredley (#14992)
  • Make reloading feature switch between options @jamesfredley (#14985)
  • Update quartz and web console versions @jamesfredley (#14981)
  • Update links in docs to new internal link or updated external link @jamesfredley (#14973)
  • Add development reloading subsection to getting started section @jamesfredley (#14969)
  • fix: remove ServletContext from generated and test BootStrap.groovy files @jamesfredley (#14970)
  • Adjust core plugins artifactids in GrailsCompilerAutoConfiguration.java @jamesfredley (#14968)
  • Merge 7.0.0-RC1 tag @jamesfredley (#14964)

🚀 Features

  • feature - #14017 - add back Micronaut support to Grails 7 with optional plugin @jdaugherty (#14953)
  • refactor(grails-geb): Read GebConfig.groovy to allow overriding RemoteWebDriver @JonasPammer (#14987)

🐛 Bug Fixes

  • Restart Geb VNC Container for each Test in a Spec to get correct recordings @JonasPammer (#14995)
  • Forge fixes @matrei (#15019)
  • grails-wrapper: Fix ClosureCompleter initialization in GradleCommand @jamesfredley (#15017)
  • Add .git-blame-ignore-revs @matrei (#15015)
  • fix: add asset-pipeline-bom to grails bom @jdaugherty (#14999)
  • fix: sitemesh3 rendering @jdaugherty (#14989)
  • Fix Typo dataStore not dataSource @lynchie14 (#14966)
  • fix: #14951 - make groovy extension merge for shadowJar reproducible @jdaugherty (#14952)
  • Issues-14899 fixes Documentation: Cleanup missing files @dauer (#14950)
  • fix: #14947 - class cast exception due to not using local variable @jdaugherty (#14960)

🔧 Maintenance

  • Explicitly type render(object) to help IntelliJ ambiguous method overloading @jdaugherty (#15031)
  • chore: conform to code style @matrei (#15033)
  • Enforce code style @matrei (#15016)
  • Include sources from composite builds in Groovydoc @jamesfredley (#15012)
  • ci: use grails-forge as base dir for dependabot @matrei (#15028)
  • chore(deps): bump com.gradle.common-custom-user-data-gradle-plugin from 2.2.1 to 2.3 in /grails-forge @dependabot[bot] (#15026)
  • chore(deps): bump com.gradle.develocity from 4.0.1 to 4.1.1 in /grails-forge @dependabot[bot] (#15025)
  • ci: add grails-forge dir to dependabot.yml @matrei (#15024)
  • chore(deps): bump com.gradle.develocity from 4.0.1 to 4.1.1 @dependabot[bot] (#15022)
  • Add .git-blame-ignore-revs @matrei (#15015)
  • Remove grails-publish plugin from build plugins @jamesfredley (#15014)
  • Forge publish - Add workaround so that release builds do not require signing credentials @jdaugherty (#14998)
  • Ensure Gradle Settings file & buildSrc/build.gradle are generated during the build Phase @jamesfredley (#14971)
  • chore: add versioning section to RELEASE.md and a link in README.md @cbmarcum (#14962)
  • fix: #14951 - make groovy extension merge for shadowJar reproducible @jdaugherty (#14952)
  • chore: move grails-publish gradle plugin to its own project @jdaugherty (#14937)
  • chore: correct wording for the voting window @matrei (#14954)

Full Changelog: v7.0.0-RC1...v7.0.0-RC2

Upgrade instructions are available in the documentation.

Additional Releases

The following plugins and tools are being released alongside Grails 7.0.0-RC2:

Grails Spring Security 7.0.0-RC2

See the release page: https://github.com/apache/grails-spring-security/releases/tag/v7.0.0-RC2

Grails Quartz 4.0.0-RC2

See the release page: https://github.com/apache/grails-quartz/releases/tag/v4.0.0-RC2

Grails Redis 5.0.0-RC2

See the release page: https://github.com/apache/grails-redis/releases/tag/v5.0.0-RC2

Grails GitHub Actions 1.0.0

See the release page: https://github.com/apache/grails-github-actions/releases/tag/v1.0.0

  • Initial release of actions for Gradle projects' release workflows.

Purpose
The actions being released are used in gradle projects for their release workflows to handle automated version management & documentation publishing.

Actions

  • deploy-github-pages action - a GitHub Action to copy documentation files to a specified documentation branch. Works by creating a subfolder named the same as the documentation branch, checking out the documentation branch to that folder, staging files, and then pushing them. Action is configured via environment variables.
  • export-gradle-properties action - a GitHub Action that takes a Java properties file (typically gradle.properties) and exports each property as an environment variable for use in subsequent steps of your workflow.
  • post-release action - a GitHub Action that handles steps necessary to close out a GitHub Release process. Including incrementing the next version & merging back to the target branch
  • pre-release - a GitHub action that handles any pre-release steps as part of a GitHub release process. Including the project version being set based on the specified GitHub tag and updating the associated tag to the release.

Grails Gradle Publish 0.0.1

See the release page: https://github.com/apache/incubator-grails-gradle-publish/releases/tag/v0.0.1

Dependency Upgrades

In this release, we've upgraded several dependency versions, including but not limited to the following:

  • Asset Pipeline 5.0.16 (now cloud.wondrify.asset-pipeline)
  • Spring Framework 6.2.10
  • Spring Boot 3.5.5
  • See all in the grails-bom.

Generating a new Grails 7.0.0-RC2 application with Grails Forge

Try out Grails today by visiting our online application generator Grails Forge. This is the quickest and the recommended way to get started with Grails.

After installing JetBrains' IntelliJ IDEA 2025.2 or later and the Grails Plugin, the Grails Application Forge will also be available under New Project in IntelliJ IDEA.

Within your newly generated project you can access the Grails CLIs with the Grails Wrapper.

See the Types of CLI section in the documentation for details on each CLI.

grail-shell-cli

grailsw

grails-forge-cli

grailsw -t forge

Installing Grails CLIs 7.0.0-RC2 with SDKMan

Alternatively, you can quickly install Grails 7.0.0-RC2 CLIs (grails-shell-cli and grails-forge-cli) using SDKMan.

See the Types of CLI section in the documentation for details on each CLI.

  1. If you don't have SDKMan installed, follow the instructions at SDKMan Installation Guide to set it up.

  2. Once SDKMan is installed, open your terminal and run the following command to install Grails 7.0.0-RC2:

    sdk install grails 7.0.0-RC2

  3. You're all set! To verify the installation, run:

    grails --version

The Grails Shell CLI can be accessed as:

grails

or

grails-shell-cli

The Grails Forge CLI can be accessed as:

grails -t forge

or

grails-forge-cli

Upgrading Your Existing Applications to Grails 7.0.0-RC2

If you already have a Grails application and want to upgrade to the latest version, follow these steps:

  1. Open the project in your favorite IDE (preferably JetBrains' IntelliJ IDEA 2025.2 or later).

  2. Update your application's gradle.properties file to specify Grails 7.0.0-RC2 as the desired version.

    grailsVersion=7.0.0-RC2

  3. Make any necessary adjustments to your application code, configuration, and dependencies to ensure compatibility with the new version. See Upgrade Guide

    • remove org.apache.grails:grails-i18n from your dependency list, it has changed to org.apache.grails.i18n:grails-i18n and is provided transitively by default

Normally, Grails Core dependencies are automatically updated using the Grails Bill of Materials (BOM). However, if you have specific versions defined in your build configuration, you may need to manually update them to align with Grails 7.0.0-RC2.

By following these steps, you should be able to transition your existing Grails application to Grails 7.0.0-RC2.

Exploring Alternative Approaches

If manual dependency updates seem daunting, or you want a more streamlined approach, consider the following alternatives:

1. Use Grails Forge Website

Visit Grails Forge and generate a new Grails application with Grails 7.0.0-RC2. Compare the versions in the newly generated application with your existing one to identify any discrepancies. This can serve as a reference point for your update.

2. Automated Dependency Update Bots

Configure automated dependency update bots like Renovate or Dependabot with your source control platform (e.g., GitHub). These bots can automatically detect and update outdated dependencies in your project, including Grails dependencies, saving you time and effort in manual updates.

With these steps and alternative approaches, you should be well on your way to enjoying the exciting features and improvements in Grails 7.0.0-RC2.

Why should you try out Grails 7.0.0-RC2?

  • Help us test this major upgrade of the Grails Framework and provide feedback.
  • Be ready for when Grails 7 is released.

Grails 7 Release Schedule

  • We will continue to work on updating and fixing issues over the next few weeks.
  • Based on feedback, an Apache Grails RC or Final release is targeted for September 2025.

Apache Grails Mailing Lists

Users Mailing List

The users mailing list will be a General purpose list for questions and discussion about Grails.
Web Archive: https://lists.apache.org/list.html?users@grails.apache.org
Subscribe: Send a blank email to users-subscribe@grails.apache.org

Dev Mailing List

The dev mailing list is focused on the framework implementation and its evolution.
Web Archive: https://lists.apache.org/list.html?dev@grails.apache.org
Subscribe: Send a blank email to dev-subscribe@grails.apache.org

When participating in mailing lists, you should never include any personally identifiable information (PII) like your address, phone number or email address, as all messages sent to these lists are publicly accessible and archived, meaning anyone can view your information. Make sure your email client does not add your signature with these items.

Thank you!

A huge thank you to our amazing community for supporting the Grails Framework over the past 20 years! We’re excited for the future and grateful for the opportunity to continue innovating and pushing Grails forward together.

Contributors

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the contributors who made Grails 7.0.0-RC2 possible.
Special thanks to:

Recent Contributors by Project:

Combined Commit List

Their dedication and hard work have significantly contributed to the release of Grails 7.0.0-RC2.

Join the Grails Slack Community, share your feedback, and contribute to making Grails Framework even better in the future. Happy coding!

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