Kubernetes v1.27 Deprecations, API Removals, and Feature Gate Changes

Redirect from k8s.gcr.io to registry.k8s.io

Kubernetes uses the community‑owned registry.k8s.io to host its container images. Starting March 20, all traffic to the deprecated k8s.gcr.io registry is redirected to registry.k8s.io , and the old registry will eventually be retired.

Impact of the change

If you maintain a sub‑project, you must update your manifests and Helm charts to reference the new registry.

Kubernetes v1.27 will not be released to the old registry.

From April, patch releases for v1.24, v1.25, and v1.26 will no longer be published to the old registry.

A detailed blog post explains the migration steps and implications.

Kubernetes API Deprecation and Removal Process

Kubernetes follows a documented deprecation policy: a stable API can be deprecated only when a newer stable replacement exists, and it remains functional for at least one release cycle before removal. Deprecated APIs emit warnings; removed APIs are unavailable and require migration.

GA or stable APIs may be deprecated and removed in a future major release.

Beta APIs, once deprecated, must be supported for three subsequent releases.

Alpha or experimental APIs can be removed at any time without notice.

APIs and Features Removed in Kubernetes v1.27

Removal of CSIStorageCapacity ( storage.k8s.io/v1beta1 )

The CSIStorageCapacity API, which exposed available storage capacity for CSI volumes, was deprecated in v1.24 and is removed in v1.27. Users should migrate to the stable storage.k8s.io/v1 version.

Deprecation of seccomp annotations

Seccomp support graduated to GA in v1.19. The alpha annotations seccomp.security.alpha.kubernetes.io/pod and container.seccomp.security.alpha.kubernetes.io were deprecated in v1.19 and are now fully removed. Pods should use securityContext.seccompProfile instead.

Removal of several volume‑expansion feature gates

The following feature gates are removed and must no longer be referenced in --feature-gates :

ExpandCSIVolumes – enables CSI volume expansion.

ExpandInUsePersistentVolumes – enables expansion of in‑use PVCs.

ExpandPersistentVolumes – enables expansion of persistent volumes.

Removal of command‑line flags and feature gates

--master-service-namespace flag in kube‑apiserver.

ControllerManagerLeaderMigration feature gate (now always enabled).

--enable-taint-manager flag in kube‑controller‑manager (taint‑based eviction is now default).

--pod-eviction-timeout flag in kube‑controller‑manager.

CSI Migration feature gate ( CSIMigration ) removed.

CSIInlineVolume feature gate removed (CSI Ephemeral Volume is GA).

EphemeralContainers feature gate removed (feature is now GA).

LocalStorageCapacityIsolation feature gate removed (local storage capacity isolation is GA).

NetworkPolicyEndPort feature gate removed (endPort field requires provider support).

StatefulSetMinReadySeconds feature gate removed (minReadySeconds is now always enforced).

IdentifyPodOS feature gate removed (Pod OS identification is stable).

DaemonSetUpdateSurge feature gate removed (surge support is now default).

Looking Ahead

The upcoming Kubernetes v1.29 release will further remove APIs such as flowcontrol.apiserver.k8s.io/v1beta2 for FlowSchema and PriorityLevelConfiguration.

Further Reading

Refer to the official Kubernetes deprecation policy and changelogs for versions 1.23‑1.27 for detailed information.