- `apiserver_dropped_requests` -> `apiserver_dropped_requests_total`
- `etcd_helper_cache_hit_count` -> `etcd_helper_cache_hit_total`
- `etcd_helper_cache_miss_count` -> `etcd_helper_cache_miss_total`
- `etcd_helper_cache_entry_count` -> `etcd_helper_cache_entry_total`
- `etcd_request_cache_get_latencies_summary` -> `etcd_request_cache_get_latency_seconds`

- Made `kubectl-convert` binary linking static (also affects the deb and rpm packages). ([#114228](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/114228), [@saschagrunert](https://github.com/saschagrunert))
- Migrated controller helper functions to use contextual logging. ([#115049](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/115049), [@fatsheep9146](https://github.com/fatsheep9146))

After they are evaluated, the parameters of the call are passed by value to the function
and the called function begins execution.
The return parameters of the function are passed by value
back to the caller when the function returns.
</p>

<p>
Calling a <code>nil</code> function value
causes a <a href="#Run_time_panics">run-time panic</a>.
</p>

<p>

- Added `kubectl node drain` helper callbacks `OnPodDeletionOrEvictionStarted`
  and `OnPodDeletionOrEvictionFailed`; people extending `kubectl` can use these
  new callbacks for more granularity. Deprecated the `OnPodDeletedOrEvicted`

- When using `kubectl replace` (or the equivalent API call) on a Service, the caller no longer needs to do a read-modify-write cycle to fetch the allocated values for `.spec.clusterIP` and `.spec.ports[].nodePort`.  Instead the API server will automatically carry these forward from the original object when the new object does not...

- When using `kubectl replace` (or the equivalent API call) on a Service, the caller no longer needs to do a read-modify-write cycle to fetch the allocated values for `.spec.clusterIP` and `.spec.ports[].nodePort`.  Instead the API server will automatically carry these forward from the original object when the new object does not...

  // ImagePullSecrets is an optional list of references to secrets in the same namespace to use for pulling any of the images used by this PodSpec.
  // If specified, these secrets will be passed to individual puller implementations for them to use.
  // More info: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/containers/images#specifying-imagepullsecrets-on-a-pod
  // +optional
  // +patchMergeKey=name
  // +patchStrategy=merge

- client-go: The `rest.AnonymousClientConfig(*rest.Config) *rest.Config` helper method no longer copies custom `Transport` and `WrapTransport` fields, because those can be used to inject user credentials. ([#75771](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/75771), [@liggitt](https://github.com/liggitt))

- Fix an issue with toleration merging & whitelist checking in the PodTolerationRestriction admission controller. ([#81732](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/81732), [@tallclair](https://github.com/tallclair))
- Add a helper function to decode scheduler plugin args. ([#80696](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/80696), [@hex108](https://github.com/hex108))

      * Added exported env vars to kubectl plugins so that plugin developers have access to global flags, namespace, the plugin descriptor and the full path to the caller binary.

  * Enhancement

    * `kubectl auth can-i` now supports non-resource URLs ([#46432](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/46432), [@CaoShuFeng](https://github.com/CaoShuFeng))