⭐ Features and Optimizations

• Add FieldNameMatching decode option. by @benluddy in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/433
• Add option to decode CBOR bignum to interface{} as *big.Int by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/456
• Add 2 more options for decoding CBOR integers to interface{} by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/457
• Add encoding option to specify how omitempty fields are encoded by @dinhxuanvu in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/453
• New options for encoding Go strings to and from CBOR byte strings by @benluddy in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/465
• Add options to support byte string map keys as struct field names by @benluddy in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/472
• Add option to specify how to decode unrecognized CBOR tag to any by @ssuriyan7 in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/475

🚀 Notable Optimizations

• Improve memory allocs 🗜️ and speed 🚀 of encoding maps by using Go 1.18-1.20 features by @dinhxuanvu in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/468

  📊 Benchmarks

  benchstat results provided by @dinhxuanvu

  

  NOTE: Go 1.17 is the minimum version supported by v2.6.0. Go 1.20+ will use optimizations introduced by PR 468.

🛠 Improvements

• Refactor valid() to reject negative values for integer modes by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/434
• Refactor tests to improve consistency and readability by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/458
• Add another test and fix lint errors by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/466
• Refactor map encoding to prep for Go version bump by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/473
• Add UnrecognizedTagToAny option to TestDecOptions by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/484
• Update go.mod to require go 1.17 by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/489

🐞 Bug Fixes

• Fix panic when decoding CBOR nil to *cbor.SimpleValue by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/461
• Fix cbor.SimpleValue encoding and decoding by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/464
• Fix EncOption/DecOption unset fields on mode regurgitation. by @benluddy in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/480

📖 Docs and CI

• Update README for error handling of CBOR extraneous data by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/426
• Update README for changes in cbor v2.5.0 by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/427
• Update CI and README by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/430
• Update README to add FIDO Alliance, Let's Encrypt, Matrix.org by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/431
• Pin actions/checkout and actions/setup-go by @x448 in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/436
• Enable more linters by @fxamacker in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/437
• Bump github/codeql-action from 2.22.5 to 2.22.8 by @dependabot in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/443
• Document behavior of Unmarshal of unrecognized tags into interface{} by @benluddy in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/448
• Bump github/codeql-action from 2.22.8 to 3.22.12 by @dependabot in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/455
• Bump github/codeql-action from 3.22.12 to 3.23.0 by @dependabot in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/469

New Contributors

• @benluddy made their first contribution in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/433
• @dinhxuanvu made their first contribution in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/453
• @ssuriyan7 made their first contribution in https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/pull/475

Full Changelog: https://github.com/fxamacker/cbor/compare/v2.5.0...v2.6.0-rc.0