EKS 1.37: Metrics API GA, DRA Taints, Scale-to-Zero Beta
Kubernetes 1.37 lands on EKS, bringing GA Metrics API, DRA taints, and beta scale-to-zero. Does it matter?
EKS 1.37 is here, but the real news is what Kubernetes itself brought.
What changed
- Amazon EKS and EKS Distro now support Kubernetes version 1.37.
- Metrics API (metrics.k8s.io/v1) is promoted to General Availability.
- Dynamic Resource Allocation (DRA) device taints and tolerations are now Generally Available.
- Horizontal Pod Autoscaler scale-to-zero graduates to beta, enabled by default when
minReplicas: 0and using object or external metrics.
Why it matters
This release primarily reflects upstream Kubernetes 1.37 features landing on EKS. The GA of the Metrics API is significant for observability, providing consistent Pod and node CPU/memory usage to tools like kubectl top and the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler. The beta graduation of scale-to-zero for HPA is a notable step for cost optimization on intermittent workloads, allowing clusters to scale down to zero pods when idle. DRA taints offer more granular control over resource scheduling, particularly for specialized hardware like GPUs. This update is a straightforward parity play, bringing EKS in lockstep with the latest Kubernetes release across all supported AWS Regions.
The catch
The honest version: This announcement is less about EKS innovation and more about EKS adopting upstream Kubernetes. The headline features are Kubernetes features, not EKS-specific enhancements. Watch out: Scale-to-zero for HPA is still in beta and enabled by default only for specific metric types (object/external). Users relying on custom metrics or other HPA configurations will need to verify their setup. EKS version lifecycle policies mean older versions will eventually be deprecated, so planning upgrades is always necessary.
Ship it
If you are running EKS clusters and need the capabilities of Kubernetes 1.37, specifically the GA Metrics API for improved autoscaling or the beta scale-to-zero feature for cost savings on idle workloads, plan your upgrade. Use eksctl upgrade cluster --version=1.37 or the EKS console. Ensure you review EKS cluster insights for potential upgrade blockers.
Bottom line: EKS 1.37 brings upstream Kubernetes features like GA Metrics API and beta scale-to-zero; plan your upgrade if these are relevant.
— Filed to /aws