Strimzi

1.0.0Networking & Messaging

Apr 28, 2026Copy link

Strimzi 1.0.0 drops all pre-v1 CRD APIs — this is a hard requirement before upgrading. Also adds Kafka 4.1.2 support, TLS on the HTTP Bridge, and environment-variable-based rack awareness.

• breakingConvert all CRDs to v1 API before upgrading — no exceptions

  Strimzi 1.0.0 flat-out removes v1beta2, v1beta1, and v1alpha1. If any of your custom resources still use those API versions, the operator will not reconcile them after upgrade. Run the CRD conversion procedure documented by Strimzi before touching anything else. This applies to KafkaTopic and KafkaUser resources too, which had their own v1alpha1/v1beta1 versions. Skipping this step will break your cluster management silently.

• enhancementSwitch rack awareness to environment-variable type to drop ClusterRoleBindings

  The new type: environment-variable rack awareness reads topology from env vars rather than querying the Kubernetes API, which means it no longer needs ClusterRoleBindings. If you're running in environments with tight RBAC policies or multi-tenant clusters, this is worth migrating to. Review your Kafka CR's rack configuration and update the type field — no other infrastructure changes needed.

• enhancementUseConnectBuildWithBuildah is now on by default — verify your Connect build pipelines

  This feature gate moving to beta means Buildah is now the default build tool for Kafka Connect connector builds. If you've been relying on Kaniko-specific behavior or have custom build configurations, test your Connect builds in a non-production environment after upgrading. The Buildah image is pinned in the release, so the toolchain is stable, but behavioral differences in layer caching or registry auth handling could surface.