wasmCloud v2.6.0

This release introduces a major shift towards a plugin-based architecture with the introduction of P3 host plugins and support for host component plugins. Performance is a key focus, featuring new warm-instance pooling to eliminate cold starts and several networking optimizations for HTTP workloads. Additionally, the runtime now supports 'trigger services' for asynchronous messaging and a new secrets management plugin system.

P3 Host Plugin System and Component Plugins — Introduces P3 (Plugin Protocol) support and host component plugins, enabling more extensible and modular runtime behavior through WebAssembly components.

Warm-Instance Pooling for Components — Significantly improves application responsiveness and reduces cold-start overhead by maintaining a pool of ready-to-use instances.

Trigger Services and Messaging Ingress — Enables developers to build and deploy long-lived services that respond to external triggers like messaging or HTTP, rather than just request-response patterns.

Asynchronous Secrets Management with Host Plugin — Adds support for the wasmcloud:secrets interface and a dedicated host plugin, allowing for more secure and standardized handling of sensitive data.

HTTP Performance Optimizations and Lock Contention Reduction — Reduces latency for HTTP services by disabling the Nagle algorithm and optimizing internal store locking mechanisms during component loading.