On August 10, 2021, Elastic announced the release of the Elastic Stack 8.0.0-alpha1, marking the first public alpha version of their upcoming major release. This version introduces new features and significant changes, although it is not recommended for production use due to potential incompatibilities with future releases. Elastic is also reviving its Pioneer Program, which began with version 5.0, to encourage community feedback during the preview period. This program invites users to test the alpha version and report issues specific to their unique environments, which aids in refining the product before the general availability release. The company emphasizes the importance of user feedback, expressing gratitude for the community's role in enhancing the product's development.