+1 (non-binding) I validated 5.0.0-candidate-1 on Linux x86_64 with JDK 21.
- Verified SHA-512 checksums and PGP signatures for both source and binary distributions. - Ran quickCheck and built the broker from the source distribution. - Passed standalone smoke tests covering pub/sub, subscription modes, batching/compression, schemas, redelivery, dead-letter topics, delayed delivery, and transactions. - Verified durable subscription recovery after a standalone restart. - Tested V5 scalable topic produce/consume, segment split/merge, checkpoint recovery, and transactions. - Verified basic compatibility with Java clients 4.0.13 and 4.2.4. Thanks for preparing the release!
