Introduction to Step 29
We’re excited to introduce Step 29 “Mont Collon”, a release that brings major functional advancements across automation, reporting, live monitoring, and platform infrastructure.
This version introduces a new Automation Package Library model, multi-version support, artifact-repository deployments, Live Reporting, enhanced analytics, and improvements to agent orchestration and platform security.
Below you’ll find the key highlights of the release. For the complete list of bug fixes and enhancements, visit the release notes.
Automation Packages: Libraries, Multi-Version Support & Artifact Repositories
Step 29 brings a major evolution to Automation Packages with the introduction of the Automation Package Library, enabling shared libraries, richer modularization, and simpler reuse across packages.
Key features
- Automation Package Libraries enabling reusable, versioned code and shared entities across multiple Automation Packages
- Artifact-repository deployments, supporting Maven coordinates for packages and libraries
- Multi-version support for deploying multiple versions of the same Automation Package with activation-expression–based selection
- Snapshot management, including explicit refresh and cross-package reloads
- Legacy keyword packages deprecated and fully replaced by Automation Packages
These improvements build the foundation for a more scalable, modular, and maintainable automation ecosystem.
Live Reporting: Real-Time Insights as Executions Run
Step 29 introduces Live Reporting, a major step toward real-time observability of automation executions.
Keyword output for measurements and attachments can now stream live from the agent to the controller.
Key features
- Real-time streaming of keyword measurements
- Live attachments (e.g., logs, traces) during execution
- Initial Live Reporting support for Java custom keywords
- K6 Keywords now support live-streaming of K6 output logs and K6 metrics as measurements
Live Reporting support will be extended to additional keyword types in upcoming releases.
Enhanced Execution Reporting & Analytics
Execution reporting continues to evolve with new analytical capabilities and usability improvements designed for both functional and load-testing workflows.
Key features
- Historical status visualisation for plan nodes
- Cross-execution heat maps for plans and schedules
- Improved debugging and error exploration in the execution tree
- Integrated Playwright trace viewer
- Improved test-case table, status display, and execution parameters
These enhancements make identifying regressions, patterns, and failures easier than ever.
Infrastructure & Runtime Improvements
Step 29 extends its execution capabilities and scalability across agent infrastructures.
Key features
- Optional Java-agent forking for isolated keyword execution
- Automatic agent provisioning across multiple Kubernetes clusters
- Performance improvements for execution lists, housekeeping, and UI load states
These additions strengthen Step’s reliability and flexibility in modern distributed environments.
Platform Security, Protection & Auditability
This release adds several improvements designed to harden configurations, secure parameter handling, and improve traceability.
Key features
- Extended protected parameters and data-source protections
- Unlimited-size encrypted parameters
- Human-readable audit logs for common REST operations
Together, these updates improve security, governance, and compliance across your automation workflows.