update release notes

Author: hmottestad

site/content/news/rdf4j-530.md

@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ date: 2026-04-17T11:05:26+0200
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-RDF4J 5.3.0 is now available. This is a minor release resolving 22 issues.
+RDF4J 5.3.0 is now available. This minor release resolves 22 issues between 5.2.2 and 5.3.0 and focuses on better query observability, easier deployment, and targeted performance work across the stack.
+
+Highlights include richer EXPLAIN support with runtime telemetry and Workbench compare mode, a new standalone `rdf4j-server-boot` distribution for Server and Workbench, faster LMDB/Lucene/DISTINCT-heavy workloads, direct `.xlsx` and `.ods` SPARQL result export, and several developer-facing additions such as the experimental query renderer and a fluent `ShaclValidator` API.
 
 For more details, have a look at the [release notes](/release-notes/5.3.0).
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site/content/release-notes/5.3.0.md

@@ -2,9 +2,39 @@
 title: "5.3.0"
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-RDF4J 5.3.0 is a patch release that fixes 22 issues.
+RDF4J 5.3.0 is a minor release that fixes 22 issues since 5.2.2.
 
-For a complete overview, see [all issues fixed in 5.3.0](https://github.com/eclipse/rdf4j/milestone/124?closed=1).
+### Highlights
+
+* Query observability is much stronger in 5.3.0. Query explanations now carry richer runtime telemetry ([GH-5701](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5701)), can be requested and cancelled over HTTP, and are exposed in Workbench with text, JSON, and DOT views plus side-by-side comparison support ([GH-5713](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5713)). The new experimental `QueryPlanSnapshotCli` helps capture and compare plans across benchmark runs ([GH-5691](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5691)).
+* Server deployment is easier. RDF4J now ships a self-contained Spring Boot distribution for Server and Workbench as `rdf4j-server-boot` ([GH-1502](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/1502)), and the Spring components now include a lightweight `rdf4j-spring-boot-sparql-web` wrapper for SPARQL-only HTTP services.
+* Several hot paths were optimized. LMDB writes are faster when transaction isolation is enabled ([GH-5748](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5748)), DISTINCT evaluation and related query-engine paths were tightened ([GH-5716](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5716)), and `AbstractMemoryOverflowModel` now uses `DynamicModel` to reduce intermediate-model overhead ([GH-5711](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5711)).
+* Result export and parsing grew more capable. Tuple query results can now be written directly as `.xlsx` and `.ods` spreadsheets ([GH-5290](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5290)), and the JSON-LD parser can be supplied with an expansion context to refine how incoming documents are interpreted ([GH-5573](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5573)).
+
+### Query Engine And APIs
+
+* RDF4J now ships an experimental `rdf4j-queryrender` module with a more complete SPARQL renderer and IR-based algebra-to-text pipeline ([GH-5604](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5604)).
+* `Var.of(...)` factories and the `Var.Provider` SPI allow libraries to plug in custom query-model variable implementations without changing call sites ([GH-5604](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5604)).
+* SHACL now includes a fluent `ShaclValidator` builder API ([GH-5646](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5646)) and more precise control over inferred statements during validation ([GH-5676](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5676)).
+* Custom SPARQL aggregate functions can now accept positioned additional parameters ([GH-5626](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5626)).
+* NativeStore's ValueStore now uses a write-ahead log to improve recovery from value corruption ([GH-5520](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5520)).
+
+### Server, Workbench, And Operations
+
+* Workbench query pages can run asynchronous EXPLAIN requests, cancel long-running explanations, and render plans as text, JSON, or DOT graphs. Compare mode makes it easier to inspect plan changes side by side ([GH-5713](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5713)).
+* Server and Workbench data-import flows can now choose a transaction isolation level during upload, instead of always relying on the repository default ([GH-5565](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5565)). The console `load` command gained the same option.
+* LuceneSail no longer has to fsync on every transaction commit. Applications can now choose between `commit()` and `flush()` behavior to trade raw durability against much better ingest throughput ([GH-5291](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5291)).
+* Docker images were updated to newer JDK baselines (JDK 21 and JDK 25) ([GH-5608](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5608)).
+
+### Bug Fixes And Compatibility Notes
+
+* Fixed a 5.2.2 regression where `RepositoryFederatedService` could lose application-specific thread context during background SERVICE evaluation ([GH-5732](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5732)).
+* `GraphPatterns.filterNotExists(...)` is no longer lost when appended to an empty `GraphPatterns.and()` in the query builder ([GH-5561](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5561)).
+* Solr Sail is now deprecated for removal in the next major release ([GH-5631](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5631)).
+* A broad set of Elasticsearch integration APIs were deprecated for removal in preparation for a future client refresh.
+* FedX now carries deprecation notices on several legacy evaluation, join, and demo APIs as federation internals move toward a more unified strategy ([GH-5663](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/issues/5663)).
+
+For a complete overview, see [all issues fixed in 5.3.0](https://github.com/eclipse-rdf4j/rdf4j/milestone/124?closed=1).
 
 ### Acknowledgements