Introducing Sauce Connect 5.0 — Now in Public Beta!

In an era when cyber threats have surged, security has become a top priority for businesses with a digital presence. Protecting your digital assets is more important than ever — a fact recognized by the 75% of businesses that have intensified their security efforts over the past year, per the 2023 PSA Certified Security Report. This increased focus on security applies not only to software delivery but also to the vital task of testing websites and mobile apps to drive quality improvements.

To do this effectively, you require not only proven and efficient security protocols but also a high-performing and scalable infrastructure. Whether running tests on virtual or real device clouds, it's common to require a secure connection to software behind a corporate firewall or in your local environment. And, of course, you want to run these tests smoothly and with minimal hassle. 

The need for secure testing is far from new. For the last 13 years, Sauce Connect has been a core component of our platform, applying an essential layer of security to your testing setup. But over time, standards and practices change. The time has come to adapt. 

We're thrilled to announce that Sauce Connect 5.0 is now available in a fully functional public beta! This release marks the next chapter of highly secure and performant testing. 

With Sauce Connect 5.0, you'll unlock enhanced performance, advanced security protocols, and simplified integration and onboarding.

With this latest release, we've optimized the Sauce Connect 5.0 protocol to enhance both speed and memory resources. You can experience up to five times improvement in your test speed, which means lower latency and faster test executions. You'll especially notice this improvement when multiple test sessions use the same Sauce Connect Proxy instance. Not only is Sauce Connect 5.0 faster, but it's also lighter on your resources. It uses up to 50 times less memory compared to the previous version, allowing you to run more tests with less overhead.

With Sauce Connect 5.0, the era of proprietary protocols is over. The latest release moves us from a very secure (but obscure) KGP protocol to the widely accepted HTTP/2 protocol with SOCKS5 and websocket proxy support. This evolution simplifies the approval process for security teams, making it easier for engineering teams to establish a secure connection with Sauce Labs.

Streamlined implementation has been a key focus for us with this release. With fewer steps to navigate, Sauce Connect 5.0 simplifies the onboarding and integration process. Plus, by embracing a universally accepted protocol, Sauce Connect simplifies integration into CI/CD environments, enabling secure testing with minimal support required.

With Sauce Connect 5.0, we're enhancing your testing experience across security, performance, and implementation. We're excited to have you join us in the beta program, and we'd appreciate your feedback as we unlock the future of secure and high-performance testing.

To get started, fill out this form to get exclusive access to the fully functional beta. You can also review the Sauce Connect 5.0 docs to learn more.