GitHub Releases Enterprise Server 3.11

GitHub yesterday released Enterprise Server 3.11 which is now generally available. This version brings updates in instance administration, authentication, audit logs, GitHub Advanced Security, Dependabot, code security, GitHub Actions, organisations, repositories, issues, projects, and accessibility.

For instance administration, the release introduces the `gh es` extension for GitHub CLI, allowing administrators to perform tasks without SSH or custom applications. In authentication, the new version includes the X-Accepted-GitHub-Permissions header in REST API responses to clarify required permissions for endpoint calls. The audit logs feature an enhanced web interface, providing a more comprehensive view and consistent metadata.

GitHub Advanced Security has seen multiple enhancements. These include automatic updates for code scanning setups, the introduction of scheduled weekly analysis, and new support for Swift analysis with CodeQL. Additionally, the release supports Go 1.21 in CodeQL and introduces CodeQL model packs for Java. Push protection for secret scanning is now generally available.

Dependabot updates include support for Node.js dependencies using the pnpm package manager, enhanced policies for vulnerabilities and licences in pull requests, flexible grouping options in `dependabot.yml`, and improvements in Dependabot security updates.

In code security, the 'Security risk' and 'Security coverage' pages are now generally available, providing insights into code security and feature adoption. GitHub Actions have been updated with new features for tracking deployment history, enhanced security for deployment environments, and improved workflows.

For organisations, a new feature allows owners to archive organisations to signal that they are no longer actively maintained. Repositories see new capabilities in governing branch and tag protections and creating repositories with predefined attributes, alongside an improved activity view. Issues and projects receive enhancements in automatically adding issues to projects and visualising project items with new charts.

Accessibility improvements include enhanced visibility of links within text blocks in the web interface. The release also notes changes and improvements in various areas. These include increased speed of restoration operations with GitHub Enterprise Server Backup Utilities, unique IDs for configuration runs, and changes in service log field names. 

Security measures for two-factor authentication and Python projects code scanning have been enhanced. Dependabot and GitHub Actions functionality have seen improvements, along with enhancements in project management features.

However, there are known issues in this release, such as the removal of custom firewall rules during upgrades and other issues in services like Notebook and Viewscreen. The enterprise-level "Security overview" page and Dependabot updates for Python 3.6 and 3.7 have been deprecated.

From the blog, the focus of GitHub Enterprise Server 3.11 is on improving security visibility and understanding. Highlights include scaled application security testing, a new Activity view for repository history, enhanced secret leak prevention, and a GitHub CLI extension for management. There is an emphasis on repository rules, automation in security programs, new detection and insights for secret leaks, and comprehensive analytics for the overall security posture.

REST API enhancements in this release include global security advisories access, the x-accepted-github-permissions header for API calls, and the `gh-es` extension for GitHub CLI.