PocketIC 10.0.0 release adds system canister bootstrapping

PocketIC has released version 10.0.0 of its server, introducing the ability to bootstrap system canisters directly during instance creation. The update also rolls out new versions of the compatible Rust, Python and Javascript libraries, ensuring developers working across languages can make use of the changes.

With the new release, users can now specify which Internet Computer features to enable when creating a PocketIC instance. System canisters for NNS registry, governance, the cycles minting mechanism, the ICP ledger and index, the cycles ledger and index, SNS and Internet Identity can all be deployed at the outset. If a particular feature is not requested, the corresponding canister is not added.

The update also introduces a non-mainnet configuration option, giving developers more flexibility when setting flags for different ICP configuration choices. By default, mainnet configuration remains in place if no alternative is provided.

Alongside the feature set, PocketIC 10.0.0 delivers a complete set of binaries for both Linux and macOS across x86_64 and arm64 architectures. That breadth of support is intended to make testing environments easier to spin up regardless of system.

For developers, the release is expected to reduce friction when setting up test instances by removing the need to manually manage core system canisters. It also broadens the range of scenarios that can be simulated locally, helping teams trial new configurations before they move to mainnet.