Prepare v1.9.0 release - #570

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: docker/build-push-action@v6, docker/metadata-action@v5, mad9000/actions-find-and-replace-string@5. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/