# Transformer 8 release highlights

This page describes the new features in Transformer 8.

## New features

Transformer 8 includes dynamic configuration, and updated operating system and CPU architecture support.

### Dynamic configuration

Deploy new adapters and scale them at runtime, with no downtime required to reconfigure Liberator and Transformer.

New [Dynamic Peers](../datasource/datasource-dynamic-peers.md), [Dynamic Services](../datasource/datasource-dynamic-services.md), and [Dynamic Fields](../datasource/datasource-field-definitions.md) features in Caplin Platform 8 components allow adapters to provide Liberator and Transformer with data-service routing, object mapping, and field configuration at the time of peer connection. New [API keys](../datasource/datasource-apikeys.md) ensure only trusted components can configure a running deployment.

In simple use cases, dynamic features provide some of the benefits of [Discovery](../discovery/index.md)'s peer discovery out-of-the-box. In cloud deployments, dynamic features complement Discovery and make new on-prem/cloud hybrid deployments possible.

### Support for the AArch64 CPU architecture

Liberator now supports AArch64 (ARM64) CPUs. Take advantage of more power-efficient hosting options with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 AArch64 builds of Liberator 8, Transformer 8, and DataSource for C (DSDK) 8. 

## Requirements

Transformer 8 has the following requirements:

|     |     |
| --- | --- |
| Operating System | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (x86_64, aarch64) [recommended]<br> Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (x86_64)<br> Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (x86_64)^{asterisk}^ |
| Java^&dagger;^ | OpenJDK 17, 21 |

^{asterisk}^ Red Hat Extended Life Cycle Support subscription required from 30th June 2024\
^&dagger;^ Transformer is written in C. Java is only required if you run Java Transformer modules or legacy JMX monitoring.

For more information on Caplin Platform 8 requirements in general, see [Caplin Platform Systems Requirements](../platform-architecture/platform-hardware-and-software-requirements.md).

## Upgrading to Transformer 8

For guidance on updating a deployment to Platform 8, see [Upgrading to Caplin Platform 8](../platform-architecture/upgrading.md).