Magento Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 with new improvements and PHP 8.1 support

Adobe Commerce is one of our favorite e-commerce platforms. It’s quick, flexible, and easily scalable. And now, it’s even better. At the end of May, Adobe released the latest version of this platform. It’s called Adobe Commerce 2.4.4, and it comes with over 250 fixes and enhancements. Let’s see what we can expect from this new, improved version.

Granted, it’s not an all-new version of the platform that we know and use; it’s just an update. But quite a big one, for that matter. Let’s have a look at some of the major changes and improvements introduced in the 2.4.4 version. All in all, now Adobe Commerce should be even more effective and stable. Users will be especially thankful for the support of the new technologies that are commonly used, e.g., PHP 8.1.

Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 – what has changed?

SECURITY ISSUES

For starters, let’s talk about security. Adobe introduced just one fix related to this area of running an online business and several improvements. Here are the major changes:

• Integration tokens can no longer be used for API Bearer token authentication
• Session IDs are no longer stored in the database
• OAuth access tokens and password reset tokens are now encrypted when stored in the database
• Validation has been strengthened
• Added reCAPTCHA support to coupon codes.
• HTTPS is now enabled by default for the Adobe Commerce storefront

At the same time, they remind all Adobe Commerce users to make the most of all available security measures, and these include:

• IP allowlisting
• Two-factor authentication
• A VPN
• Good password hygiene (you should change your passwords frequently and make them difficult to crack)

SUPPORT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS

Secondly, Adobe Commerce now fully supports technologies and software that are currently a standard. This includes PHP 8.1, Elasticsearch 7.16, and OpenSearch 1.2 (which is now the default search engine for deployments hosted in the cloud). Also, the JQuery library has been updated to 3.6. At this point, it is valid to mention that Live Search, which is a set of packages for Adobe Commerce replacing standard search capabilities, is now also compatible with PHP 8.1.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

Until recently, Adobe has been capable of processing of approximately 10,000 orders/hour. And although this threshold seems like plenty, you have to remember about occasions such as Black Friday or Christmas, when large stores usually experience even more orders per hour. The 2.4.4 version enables you to process approximately 60,000 orders/hour.

Moreover, operations related to carts, order validation, and sales rules processing have also been enhanced.

PWA STUDIO

If you use progressive web apps in your online business, you will be happy to know that now PWA Studio v.12.3.0 is compatible with Adobe Commerce 2.4.4. Thanks to this improvement, you get full support for reCaptcha, Page Builder content optimization, and personalized content.

NEW PAYMENT METHODS

The latest Adobe Commerce supports Venmo payments, as well as the Pay Later option available via PayPal (availability based on the shopper’s location, not the seller’s location). 

ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility improvements introduced in Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 comprise:

• Tooltip links with text and accurate labels for inputs
• Edit buttons with a unique text.
• Admin buttons with unique, accessible, and descriptive purpose
• Additionally, errors with navigation on the cart and checkout pages have been finally resolved. Now, your customers can place orders without errors after a session timeout.

Of course, the list of improvements and changes is far longer. In this post, we’ve just summarized the most important ones. If you want to discover the whole list of what’s new in Adobe Commerce 2.4.4, go to the dedicated Adobe website.

And what about Adobe’s second e-commerce platform – Magento Open Source? The good news is it got similar enhancements about the same time. You can see the list of changes in the Open Source platform here.

If you have any problems with updating your Adobe Commerce to the latest version – we are at your service. Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source are our two primary working tools. We will make sure that your store goes through this transition quickly and smoothly. 

Reach out for details.