We are pleased to announce the release of IBM Aspera CLI (ascli) version 4.25.2.

This release continues the rapid evolution of the v4 line and includes all the enhancements introduced since version 4.24.0, with improvements focused on sharing control, extended value handling, platform reliability, and configuration clarity.

Below you’ll find a complete overview of new features, fixes, and important breaking changes to be aware of when upgrading.

What’s New Since 4.24.0

Aspera on Cloud (AoC)

Public short links with explicit access levels (4.25.2)

Public short links can now be created with a clearly defined access level, giving administrators better control over how shared content is exposed.

Admin node support without secrets (4.25.0)

The aoc admin node command now supports nodes owned by an admin account directly, eliminating the need for a node secret and simplifying administration workflows.

Direct Transfers

Live transfer management (4.24.2)

The direct command can now send management messages to running ascp sessions. This enables real‑time operations such as dynamically changing the target transfer rate without restarting the session.

Configuration and Documentation

Extended value parser selection (4.25.0)

A new parser option allows you to define the default parser for extended values when a Hash or Array is expected, improving behavior consistency in complex commands and presets.

Sync specification documentation (4.24.2)

A new command provides built‑in documentation for sync parameters: ascli config sync spec
This documentation is also available in the manual.

Global CLI Enhancements

The 4.25 series introduces major improvements to extended values and option handling:

Cumulative Hash and Array options

Hash and Array options are now merged instead of overwritten. Use @none: to explicitly reset a value.

New extended value modifiers

@: evaluates remaining arguments as a Hash or Array

@stdin:chomp reads from standard input and removes the trailing newline

Improved diagnostics

Error messages during extended value evaluation are now clearer and easier to act upon.

Orchestrator

Query support for commands (4.25.0)

Orchestrator commands now accept a query option, enabling more flexible filtering and automation scenarios.

Issues Fixed

4.25.2

• Fixed container builds
• Fixed Windows archive generation

4.25.1

Fixed deploy workflow to use global rake instead of bundle exec

• Made rspec loading conditional for deploy environments

Earlier 4.25 / 4.24 releases

• Restored missing AoC admin workspace commands
• Fixed Faspex 5 public link authentication
• Corrected Node transfer modify and cancel operations
• Improved SDK installation and detection on Windows
• Fixed ascp4 initialization issues in direct transfers
• Wizard functionality restored (wand included 🪄)

Breaking Changes to Be Aware Of

Please review the following changes carefully before upgrading.

Documentation

The main documentation entry point has moved to: docs/README.md

Configuration Changes

• Removed option ascp_path, replaced by sdk_folder
• Removed command ascp use. Use instead: ascli conf preset set GLOBAL sdk_folder <path>
• Removed command ascp products use. Use instead: ascli conf preset set GLOBAL sdk_folder product:<path>
• Default log_level is now info (previously warn). To restore the previous behavior: ascli config preset set GLOBAL log_level warn
• Removed option use_product
• Secret lookup is no longer automatic; enable explicitly with secret=PRESET

Aspera on Cloud (AoC)

• Option package_folder is now a Hash instead of a formatted String
• Option scope has been deprecated; scope is now selected directly from the command. For example, replace: bearer_token --scope=admin:all with: admin bearer_token

Transfers, Server, and Build System

• Default SSH option use_agent is now false
• ats option params removed; use positional arguments and query instead
• Deprecated Faspex 5 admin resource command removed, just use admin.
• Extended value modifier @stdbin: replaced with @stdin:bin
• Build system now uses rake instead of make for improved Windows portability
• Gem mimemagic replaced with marcel
• PDF manuals are generated only for official releases
• HTML manual generation has been removed

Summary

IBM Aspera CLI 4.25.2 delivers:

• Improved sharing control for Aspera on Cloud
• More powerful and predictable extended value handling
• Better Windows and container reliability
• Clearer configuration semantics and documentation structure

We recommend reviewing the breaking changes carefully and updating scripts or presets as needed before upgrading.

Happy transferring! 🚀