Observed Signal · Aug 29, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: DEV Community · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
GKE launches Public Preview of VPA decision logs
Google Cloud's GKE team launched a Public Preview of Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) decision logs that stream structured autoscaler events into Cloud Logging. Available on GKE clusters running version 1.36.0-gke.1601000 or newer, the feature emits persistent, structured JSON control-plane logs (KCP_VPA) from the vpa-controller, capturing recommendation updates, evictions, apply-in-place and apply-on-eviction operations with state, reason, and confidence metadata. Operators can enable KCP_VPA via gcloud CLI and query events in Logs Explorer to troubleshoot autoscaling actions, audit decisions, and enable intent-based autonomous workload management.
A technical release from a major platform (Google Cloud) that improves control-plane observability for autoscaling, aiding SRE workflows, troubleshooting, and enabling safer autonomous workload management.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Google Cloud launched the Public Preview of Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) Logs for GKE.
- VPA decision logs are available on GKE clusters running version 1.36.0-gke.1601000 or newer.
- VPA logs stream structured JSON decision events from the vpa-controller into Cloud Logging under container.googleapis.com/vpa-controller and are surfaced as KCP_VPA control plane logs.
- Log operations include UPDATE_RECOMMENDATION, EVICT_POD, APPLY_RECOMMENDATION_ON_EVICTION, and APPLY_RECOMMENDATION_IN_PLACE, each with a state (SUCCEEDED, SKIPPED, FAILED) and a confidence field.
- KCP_VPA can be enabled or updated via the gcloud CLI using the --logging=SYSTEM,KCP_VPA flag and analyzed in Google Cloud Logs Explorer with provided query filters.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“VPA logs can be enabled on both new and existing GKE clusters using the Google Cloud CLI....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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