# Release notes for Plone 6.1-dev

* Last updated: Wednesday May 8, 2024
* Check the [release schedule](https://plone.org/download/release-schedule).
* Read the [upgrade guide](https://6.docs.plone.org/upgrade/index.html), explaining the biggest changes compared to 5.2.
  Yes, we need to start on a 6.1 upgrade guide.
* Canonical place for these [release notes](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/RELEASE-NOTES.md) and the full [packages changelog](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/changelog.txt).

If you want to jump straight in, here are two important links:

* With pip you can use the constraints file at [https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/constraints.txt](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/constraints.txt), plus optionally [`constraints-extra.txt`](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/constraints-extra.txt) and [`constraints-ecosystem.txt`](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/constraints-ecosystem.txt).  Note: in 6.0 we did not have these last two files.  This may still change.
* With Buildout you can use the versions file at [https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/versions.cfg](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/versions.cfg), plus optionally [`versions-extra.cfg`](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/versions-extra.cfg) and [`versions-ecosystem.cfg`](https://dist.plone.org/release/6.1-dev/versions-ecosystem.cfg).


## Highlights

Major changes since 6.1.0a3:

* `plone.app.theming`: When calling the html serializer pass an encoding.  This is needed because we updated from `lxml` 4 to 5.


## Volto frontend

The default frontend for new Plone 6 sites is Volto.
Note that this is a JavaScript frontend that you need to run in a separate process with NodeJS.

Latest release is [17.15.5](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@plone/volto/v/17.15.5).  See the [changelog](https://github.com/plone/volto/blob/17.15.5/CHANGELOG.md).
You can also try Volto 18.0.0-alpha.28.  Most likely, the first final release of Plone 6.1 will use Volto 18.


## Classic UI

The HTML based and server side rendered UI that was present in Plone 5.2 and earlier major Plone releases is still available and has also been updated and improved upon in Plone 6.0 and 6.1.  Our documentation now refers to this frontend as 'Classic UI'.


## Docker

As we are still in the alpha stage, we are not yet creating `plone-backend` Docker images.


## Python compatibility

This release supports Python 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12.


## pip, buildout, setuptools

In Plone core we use these versions to install Plone:

```
pip==24.0
setuptools==69.5.1
wheel==0.43.0
zc.buildout==3.0.1
```

In general you are free to use whatever versions work for you, but these worked for us.


## Installation

For installation instructions, see the [documentation](https://6.docs.plone.org/install/index.html).


## Issues

If you find any issues, please report them in the [main issue tracker](https://github.com/plone/Products.CMFPlone/issues).