- Output for the `ScalingReplicaSet` event has changed from:
      Scaled <up|down> replica set <replica-set-name> to <new-value> from <old-value>
  to:
      Scaled <up|down> replica set <replica-set-name> from <old-value> to <new-value>. ([#125118](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/125118), [@jsoref](https://github.com/jsoref)) [SIG Apps and CLI]

- When scaling down a ReplicaSet, delete doubled up replicas first, where a "doubled up replica" is defined as one that is on the same node as an active replica belonging to a related ReplicaSet.  ReplicaSets are considered "related" if they have a common controller (typically a Deployment). ([#80004](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/80004),...

- Allow for configuration of CoreDNS replica count ([#85837](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/85837), [@pickledrick](https://github.com/pickledrick)) [SIG Cluster Lifecycle]

- Fixed a bug that caused duplicate validation when updating a ReplicaSet. ([#131873](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/131873), [@gavinkflam](https://github.com/gavinkflam)) [SIG Apps]
- Fixed a bug that fails to create a replica set when a deployment name is too long. ([#132560](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/132560), [@hdp617](https://github.com/hdp617)) [SIG API Machinery and Apps]

- To avoid soft-deleted pods incorrectly affecting scale up replica count calculations, the HPA controller will stop counting soft-deleted pods for scaling purposes. ([#67067](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/67067), [@moonek](https://github.com/moonek))

## Changes by Kind

### API Change

- Make STS available replicas optional again, ([#109241](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/109241), [@ravisantoshgudimetla](https://github.com/ravisantoshgudimetla)) [SIG API Machinery and Apps]
- Make STS available replicas optional again. ([#113122](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/113122), [@ashrayjain](https://github.com/ashrayjain)) [SIG Apps]

- Fixed StatefulSet to show the valid status even if the new replica creation fails. ([#112083](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/112083), [@gjkim42](https://github.com/gjkim42)) [SIG Apps and Testing]

#### Application Deployment
* StatefulSetStatus now tracks replicas, readyReplicas, currentReplicas, and updatedReplicas. The semantics of replicas is now consistent with DaemonSet and ReplicaSet, and readyReplicas has the semantics that replicas did prior to 1.7 ([#46669](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/46669), [@kow3ns](https://github.com/kow3ns)).

to ensure that autoscaling can occur optimially in all clusters,
within a set of global constraints on the total number of replicas
permitted across all clusters.  If replicas are not
required in some clusters due to low system load or insufficient quota
or capacity in those clusters, additional replicas are made available
to the autoscalers in other clusters if required.

### Node Components

* Exclude nodes labeled as master from LoadBalancer / NodePort; restores documented behaviour. ([#44745](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/44745), [@justinsb](https://github.com/justinsb))
* Fix for [scaling down remaining good replicas when a failed Deployment is paused](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/44436). ([#44616](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/44616), [@kargakis](https://github.com/kargakis))