- A new option cloudConfigType has been added to the cloud-config file. Supported values are: `file`, `secret` and `merge` (`merge` is the default value).
    - To allow Azure cloud provider to read secrets, the [RBAC rules](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/78242) should be configured.

#### CLI

- Kubernetes api-server now merges selectors built from matchLabelKeys into the labelSelector of topologySpreadConstraints, 

- kube-proxy metrics are now marked as with the ALPHA stability level. ([#81626](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/81626), [@logicalhan](https://github.com/logicalhan))

  * Strategic Merge Patch

    * Reference docs now display the patch type and patch merge key used by `kubectl apply` to merge and identify unique elements in arrays.

      * `kubectl edit` and `kubectl apply` will keep the ordering of elements in merged lists ([#45980](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/45980), [@mengqiy](https://github.com/mengqiy))

    void put(R row, C column, V value, BinaryOperator<V> merger) {
      MutableCell<R, C, V> oldCell = table.get(row, column);
      if (oldCell == null) {
        MutableCell<R, C, V> cell = new MutableCell<>(row, column, value);
        insertionOrder.add(cell);
        table.put(row, column, cell);
      } else {
        oldCell.merge(value, merger);
      }
    }

    /*

    void put(R row, C column, V value, BinaryOperator<V> merger) {
      MutableCell<R, C, V> oldCell = table.get(row, column);
      if (oldCell == null) {
        MutableCell<R, C, V> cell = new MutableCell<>(row, column, value);
        insertionOrder.add(cell);
        table.put(row, column, cell);
      } else {
        oldCell.merge(value, merger);
      }
    }

    /*

- `MergeDefaultEvictionSettings` indicates that defaults for the evictionHard, evictionSoft, evictionSoftGracePeriod, and evictionMinimumReclaim fields should be merged into values specified for those fields in this configuration. Signals specified in this configuration take precedence. Signals not specified in this configuration inherit their defaults. ([#127577](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/127577),...

   * merge does not affect its value. For example, if {@code rangeMap} had one entry {@code [1, 5]
   * => 3} then {@code rangeMap.merge(Range.closed(0,2), 3, Math::max)} could yield a map with the
   * entries {@code [0, 1) => 3, [1, 2] => 3, (2, 5] => 3}.
   *
   * @since 28.1
   */
  void merge(
      Range<K> range,
      @Nullable V value,

Klaus Post <******@****.***> 1709920248 +0100

  }

  /** Merges [settings] into this peer's settings and sends them to the remote peer. */
  @Throws(IOException::class)
  fun setSettings(settings: Settings) {
    writer.withLock {
      withLock {
        if (isShutdown) {
          throw ConnectionShutdownException()
        }
        okHttpSettings.merge(settings)
      }
      writer.settings(settings)
    }