The Kubernetes team this week released the latest 1.18 iteration of the container orchestration platform with a seemingly “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach as there are no new major features in the release. 

The update itself does feature 38 “enhancements” that include security options, improved support for Windows, multiple extensions to the container storage interface (CSI), and for the first time a “kubectl debug” command to debug pods within a Kubernetes cluster. 

In fact, many of the enhancements that were not ready in time for the 1.17 release late last year, have been delivered in the latest release. Although the Kubernetes team made concerted efforts to maturing existing capabilities, more than 30% of the enhancements in the 1.18 release represent new features, noted VMware Software Engineer Jeremy Rickard in a VMware blog following the announcement. 

With the added treasure trove of elements, the Kubernetes team is dubbing version 1.18 as a "fit and finish” release to reflect what it views as a more polished and completed product. 

The Kubernetes 1.14 release added support for Windows containers and storage options, which it supported in beta since release 1.9. That support allowed users to “experiment and see the value of Kubernetes for Windows containers.” With the 1.18 release, Windows Kubernetes users will now have alpha Windows CSI support via a CSI proxy for Windows that will allow non-privileged but pre-approved containers to perform privileged storage operations on Windows systems. 

Kubernetes continues to support Linux-based containers that have been a staple of the platform since its inception.

Along with the continued adoption of the platform has come an increased focus on security. This feeds into what remains one of the biggest concerns for enterprises that want to drive Kubernetes deeper into their operations.

Hindering that drive was a number of high-profile security lapses last year that tested the overall confidence in the platform.

Perhaps the most troubling flaw found was one in the Kubernetes kubectl command-line tool, which is the tool that allows running commands against a Kubernetes cluster to deploy applications, inspect and manage cluster resources, and view logs. If breached, the exploit allowed an attacker to use an infected container to replace or create new files on a user’s workstation.

In what is likely to be a direct response to that flaw, Kubernetes 1.18 includes a new kubectl command called debug. The debug command allows developers to introduce a new temporary container adjacent to the targeted pod and attach to the console to bolster  troubleshooting.

“As this is a brand-new alpha feature, it is a wonderful opportunity to provide feedback to the Kubernetes project and help shape it,” the Kubernetes team said in a statement.