This post is for teams running AL Object ID Ninja on their own backend.
If you are using the hosted Ninja backend, you don’t need to do anything — the transition will be handled for you invisibly.
What’s New
I’ve published a new v3 version of the Ninja backend to the repository:
👉 https://github.com/vjekob/al-objid
A new version of the Ninja extension is already in the repository as well and will be published to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace on Monday, December 15.
This backend release is part of the ongoing work on the next generation of Ninja and aligns the backend and frontend with a cleaner, more robust architecture.
Why a New Backend Was Needed
The original backend was created early in Ninja’s life and made several pragmatic choices that worked well at the time. Honestly, I was chasing the clock back then as much as I am chasing it right now. Some things never change 😂
Over time, however, some of those choices—especially around REST APIs—became limiting. The new backend corrects this by:
- using clear, REST-idiomatic endpoints
- separating responsibilities cleanly
- simplifying the infrastructure considerably
- providing a foundation that’s easier to evolve and maintain
Because of these structural changes, the new backend and the old extension are not compatible, and the new extension is not compatible with the old backend.
This isn’t a version bump — it’s a clean architectural step forward.
What This Means for Self-Hosted Setups
If you are running Ninja on your own backend, you will need to coordinate a small migration.
Specifically:
- The new backend must be deployed first
- Then the new extension can be rolled out to users
- Client configurations will need to be updated accordingly and this has to be coordinated carefully with all team members
To help with this, the DeployingBackEnd.md document has been updated and should be followed closely.
👉 https://github.com/vjekob/al-objid/blob/master/doc/DeployingBackEnd.md
Recommended Upgrade Order
To avoid interruptions:
- Deploy the v3 backend
- Update and verify backend configuration
- Allow users to upgrade the Ninja extension
If users upgrade the extension before the backend is ready, the extension won’t be able to communicate correctly until the backend is updated.
What About the Public Backend?
For teams using the public Ninja backend, this transition is fully managed and you won’t notice a thing.
A parallel v3 infrastructure is already being deployed. When the new extension is released on December 15, it will simply start using the new endpoints. No configuration changes and no downtime are expected.
Final Thoughts
I am sorry that I only gave you three days of heads-up about this, but trust me – I did everything in my power to make it happen sooner. I just couldn’t. I am chasing the clock with getting everything ready for December 15th soft launch and January 1st commercial launch, and it has been more work than I expected. Good luck, and thanks for using Ninja!
