- Updated `kubeadm` to use the `InitialCorruptCheck=true` etcd feature gate instead of the deprecated `--experimental-initial-corrupt-check` flag. Also replaced the use of `--experimental-watch-progress-notify-interval` with its graduated counterpart `--watch-progress-notify-interval`. ([#132838](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/132838), [@AwesomePatrol](https://github.com/AwesomePatrol))

Node-local DNS cache feature is available in Alpha. This feature deploys a lightweight DNS caching Daemonset that avoids the conntrack and converts queries from UDP to more reliable TCP.
PodReady++ feature now has `kubectl` CLI support.

Progress was made towards finalizing the IPv6 dual stack support KEP and support for topological routing of services.

### SIG Node

* kubeadm alpha certs command now skip missing files ([#85092](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/85092), [@fabriziopandini](https://github.com/fabriziopandini))

This is the first Kubernetes release for this SIG! In v1.12, SIG Cloud Provider focused on building the processes and infrastructure to better support existing and new cloud providers. Some of these initiatives (many of which are still in progress) are:

- Reporting E2E conformance test results to TestGrid from every cloud provider (in collaboration with SIG Testing & SIG Release)

- ` JobTrackingWithFinalizers` enabled by default. This feature allows to keep track of the Job progress without relying on Pods staying in the apiserver.
   ([#110948](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/110948), [@alculquicondor](https://github.com/alculquicondor))
- `CSIMigrationAWS` upgraded to GA and locked to true.

- Added progress tracking for volume permission and ownership changes. ([#130398](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/130398), [@gnufied](https://github.com/gnufied)) [SIG Node and Storage]

### Deployment
* **[beta]** Deployments that cannot make progress in rolling out the newest version will now indicate via the API they are blocked ([docs](https://kubernetes.io/docs/user-guide/deployments/#deployment-status))

### Federation

- Sync node status during kubelet node shutdown.
  Adds an pod admission handler that rejects new pods when the node is in progress of shutting down. ([#98005](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/98005), [@wzshiming](https://github.com/wzshiming)) [SIG Node]

SIG Storage made a lot of progress in the 1.18 release.
In particular, the following storage features are moving to GA in Kubernetes 1.18:
- Raw Block Support: Allow volumes to be surfaced as block devices inside containers instead of just mounted filesystems.

* Disable proxy to loopback and linklocal ([#71980](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/71980), [@micahhausler](https://github.com/micahhausler))
* Do not detach volume if mount in progress ([#71145](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/71145), [@gnufied](https://github.com/gnufied))