v21.0.0rc1

Release notes

This is the first Core release supporting protocol 21.

New features in protocol 21

• Secp256r1 support in Soroban host: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0051.md
• Soroban host function for extending TTL of contract instance and code separately: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0053.md
• Use refined cost model for VM instantiation in order to reduce the VM instantiation metered costs: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0054.md
• Intra-transaction VM module caching for the further Soroban cost reduction: https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0055.md, https://github.com/stellar/stellar-protocol/blob/master/core/cap-0056.md

What's Changed

• Bump env by @sisuresh in #4276
• Define custom cereal override for ConfigUpgradeSetKey and use it by @sisuresh in #4247
• Enable protocol 21 by @sisuresh in #4281
• Exclude ledger-close-meta test files in .gitignore by @sisuresh in #4282

Full Changelog: v20.4.0...v21.0.0rc1