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By Zayden R., August 1, 2026
Kubernetes v1.37 brings significant changes with the deprecation of kubectl's --filename flag, static pod references to Secrets and ConfigMaps, and kube-proxy's ipvs mode. Engineers need to prepare for these updates ahead of the release.
Kubernetes is gearing up for its v1.37 release, bringing several noteworthy deprecations that engineers should be aware of. The upcoming version phases out the kubectl run --filename flag, restricts static pods from referencing Secrets or ConfigMaps, and begins the deprecation process for kube-proxy's ipvs mode.
The decision to deprecate the --filename flag in kubectl run stems from its redundancy. The generated pod is purely built from CLI arguments like NAME and --image, making the flag unnecessary. Kubernetes issue #138671 provides more insight into this change.
Static pods have also seen a critical update. Historically, these pods weren't supposed to read API resources directly. However, due to a bug, they could reference Secrets or ConfigMaps. Kubernetes v1.37 fixes this bug, prohibiting such references and removing the PreventStaticPodAPIReferences feature gate. This change is detailed in issue #140226.
Perhaps the most impactful change is the deprecation of ipvs mode in kube-proxy. Originally introduced in v1.8 to tackle iptables performance bottlenecks, ipvs mode has struggled to fully implement Kubernetes Services without relying on iptables. By v1.40, ipvs mode will be disabled by default, with complete removal expected by v1.43. For those running clusters in ipvs mode, a deprecation warning will now appear on startup. Engineers should check their current configuration using: kubectl -n kube-system get configmap kube-proxy -o jsonpath={.data.config\.conf} | grep mode:.
These changes reflect Kubernetes' ongoing evolution, balancing feature richness with the need for stability and maintainability. Engineers should start planning for these transitions to ensure seamless operations in their Kubernetes environments.
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