The community-led Kubernetes Cluster API v1.12 introduces in-place updates and chained upgrades to cut disruption, automate lifecycle tasks, and simplify secure cluster operations across clouds.
The Kubernetes community has released Cluster API v1.12, a significant open-source update designed to eliminate disruptive “destroy-and-rebuild” infrastructure practices and automate Kubernetes cluster lifecycle management.
Developed under Kubernetes SIG Cluster Lifecycle, Cluster API provides declarative, Kubernetes-native APIs for provisioning, upgrading and operating multiple clusters. Version 1.12 introduces two core capabilities: in-place updates and chained upgrades, enabling safer, less disruptive infrastructure changes.
In-place updates allow platform engineers to modify machine details without deleting and recreating servers, avoiding full rollouts for minor configuration changes and keeping workloads running. Chained upgrades let administrators jump multiple Kubernetes versions in a single operation, with the system automatically computing and executing intermediate steps — for example moving directly from v1.25 to v1.28 — reducing manual effort and maintenance backlog.
Infrastructure components such as virtual machines, networks, load balancers and VPCs are defined declaratively like applications, improving automation and consistency. The approach also reduces unnecessary server churn, prevents sudden resource spikes and supports more efficient, mutable infrastructure.
The release signals a broader shift in cloud-native operations from rigid replacement cycles to evolutionary upgrades, lowering maintenance debt and the barrier to keeping clusters secure and current.
“Just as Kubernetes 1.35 recently introduced In-Place Pod Resizing to stop restarting software unnecessarily, Cluster API v1.12 brings that same logic to the underlying servers. This marks a maturation point for cloud native tech: moving from a rigid ‘destroy and replace’ philosophy to a flexible, evolutionary approach,” noted the team.
Fabrizio Pandini, principal engineer at Broadcom and Kubernetes SIG Cluster Lifecycle tech lead, added: “The Cluster API v1.12.0 release expands what is possible in Cluster API, reducing friction in common lifecycle operations by introducing in-place updates and chained upgrades.”
