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Fabric8 Kubernetes Client v8.0.0: Jackson 3, Java 17, and Proxy Security

September 24, 2026•Kubernetes•3 min read

Fabric8 Kubernetes Client

I'm thrilled to announce Fabric8 Kubernetes Client v8.0.0 - a major release that modernizes the library's foundation while delivering critical stability and security improvements.

This release marks a significant milestone: upgrading to Jackson 3, raising the Java baseline to Java 17, and fixing long-standing proxy authentication issues across all HTTP client implementations.

What is Fabric8 Kubernetes Client?

The Fabric8 Kubernetes Client is the most widely-used Java client library for Kubernetes and OpenShift. It powers operators, enterprise applications, and frameworks like Quarkus and the Java Operator SDK (JOSDK) - enabling Java developers to interact with Kubernetes clusters with a fluent, type-safe API.

What's New in v8.0.0

Major Version Upgrades

Jackson 2 → Jackson 3: We've migrated to Jackson 3, the latest JSON processing library. The default serialization behavior remains compatible with Jackson 2, so most applications will migrate smoothly. See the migration guide for custom mappers.

Java 11 → Java 17: The library now requires Java 17+ (both for runtime and build-time). This aligns with current industry standards and enables use of modern Java language features.

Proxy Authentication Fixes

This release delivers comprehensive fixes to proxy handling across all HttpClient implementations (Vert.x 5, Vert.x 4, Jetty, OkHttp, JDK):

  • Proxy passwords containing colons now work correctly
  • Proxy URLs with a user and no password are handled per RFC 7617
  • SOCKS5 proxy credentials are sent properly
  • Proxy credentials no longer leak through to the API server on HTTPS and WebSocket tunnels

These fixes resolve long-standing issues in enterprise proxy environments where standard patterns like proxy.example.com:8080 were breaking client connections.

WebSocket Reliability

WebSocket connections now send pings every 30 seconds (configurable via Config#websocketPingInterval), preventing load balancers from closing idle watch connections. This applies consistently across all HttpClient implementations and eliminates silent watch disconnections.

Java Temporal Types

Proper handling of java.sql.Date, java.time types, and other temporal classes:

  • Dates are now read/written with correct timezone semantics
  • CRD generator produces schemas that match what the client serializes
  • No more "invalid date" columns in CRD printer columns

Typed DSL for Kubernetes 1.37 Resources

While Kubernetes 1.37 support was added in v7.9.0, v8.0.0 completes the typed DSL accessors:

  • certificates().v1().podCertificateRequests()
  • dynamicResourceAllocation().v1().deviceTaintRules()
  • storageMigration().v1().storageVersionMigrations()
  • scheduling().v1beta1().podGroups() and workloads()

Breaking Changes

This is a major version with several breaking changes. Most applications will migrate smoothly, but you must review the migration guide:

  • Jackson 3 coordinate and package changes (tools.jackson namespace)
  • Java 17 requirement for runtime and build
  • CRD Generator v1 removed - migrate to v2 (Maven plugin, CLI, or Gradle)
  • DSL changes: runtimeClasses() and network().ingresses() now use v1 instead of v1beta1

Please read the migration guide before upgrading.

Getting Started

Update your dependency to:

<dependency>
    <groupId>io.fabric8</groupId>
    <artifactId>kubernetes-client</artifactId>
    <version>8.0.0</version>
</dependency>

For a comprehensive overview of all changes, see the release on GitHub.

Thank You

This release represents months of work from the Fabric8 team and community. Special thanks to everyone who reported proxy issues, WebSocket disconnections, and temporal type handling - your feedback drives these improvements.

As always, we welcome contributions, bug reports, and feature requests on GitHub. Happy Kuberneting! 🚀