Introducing Aerospike 8.1.1: Safer operations, more control, and better behavior under load

Aerospike 8.1.1 focuses on enhancing control and predictability in large-scale deployments by introducing server-side data masking, expanding expression capabilities, and improving configuration ergonomics. The server-side data masking feature allows enterprises to enforce strict access policies on sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information, ensuring compliance with regulations like PCI-DSS, GDPR, and others without the need for application modifications. Additionally, the release includes a developer preview of path expressions to improve data handling within complex structures, a YAML-based configuration option for better clarity and management, and performance improvements in Cross Datacenter Replication (XDR) for faster recovery. Aerospike also addresses operational issues, such as preventing unintended cache behavior and enforcing memory budgets for secondary indexes, while supporting new operating systems like RHEL 10 and Debian 13. These updates aim to make Aerospike safer, more efficient, and easier to manage in production environments.