This release introduces powerful new storage management capabilities and enhances operational visibility. A new bucket-level setting allows for the automatic purging of all object versions upon deletion, significantly reducing storage overhead for specific workflows. Additionally, audit logs are now more detailed, and the default compression algorithm has been upgraded to improve storage efficiency.

### New Features

*   **Automated Data Purging for Versioned Buckets**: A new `purge-on-delete` setting permanently removes all versions of an object upon deletion, simplifying storage management and reducing costs for workflows that do not require historical data retention. Note: This action is irreversible and cannot be used with Object Locking. (#494)

### Improvements

*   **Enhanced Audit Log Granularity**: Audit logs now include the specific node hostname and site name, providing administrators with more precise data for troubleshooting and security analysis in distributed environments. (#603)
*   **Optimized Default Compression**: Upgraded the default compression algorithm to MinLZ to improve storage efficiency and performance. Full backward compatibility with the previous S2 format is maintained for existing data. (#598)

### Bug Fixes

*   **Reduced Excessive Connection Logging**: Suppressed repetitive log entries for rejected connection attempts from the same unauthorized host, resulting in cleaner system logs for easier monitoring. (#607)
*   **Corrected Server Shutdown Behavior**: Resolved a condition that could cause server crashes during node decommissioning and subsequent restart procedures, ensuring smoother cluster management operations. (#608)
*   **Resolved Network Configuration Application**: Fixed an issue where HTTP proxy and custom TLS settings were not correctly applied to services like logger webhooks, ensuring network policies are enforced as expected. (#606)

### Breaking Changes

*   **S3 Express Command-Line Flag Renamed**: The command-line flag for specifying the S3 Express protocol has been renamed to `--proto=S3Express`. All scripts and commands utilizing the previous flag must be updated to ensure continued functionality. (#605)