# Kubernetes v1.36: New Metric for Route Sync in the Cloud Controller Manager

DevFeed: [Kubernetes v1.36: New Metric for Route Sync in the Cloud Controller Manager](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/kubernetes-v1-36-new-metric-for-route-sync-in-the-cloud-controller-manager-4553.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/05/15/ccm-new-metric-route-sync-total/>)

Author: Lukas Metzner

Published: 2026-05-15T18:35:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Kubernetes Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/kubernetes-blog.md>)

Topics: [Kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kubernetes.md>), [Cloud](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cloud.md>), [A/B Testing](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/a-b-testing.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>)

Tags: [a-b-testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/a-b-testing.md>), [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [cloud](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cloud.md>), [github](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github.md>), [kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubernetes.md>), [slack](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/slack.md>), [testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/testing.md>)

## AI overview

Kubernetes v1.36 adds the alpha route_controller_route_sync_total metric to the Cloud Controller Manager. The metric helps operators evaluate watch-based route reconciliation, which syncs routes when nodes change instead of on a fixed interval.

## Source excerpt

This article was originally published with the wrong date. It was later republished, dated the 15th of May 2026. Kubernetes v1.36 introduces a new alpha counter metric route_controller_route_sync_total to the Cloud Controller Manager (CCM) route controller implementation at k8s.io/cloud-provider. This metric increments each time routes are synced with the cloud provider. A/B testing watch-based route reconciliation This metric was added to help operators validate the CloudControllerManagerWatchBasedRoutesReconciliation feature gate introduced in Kubernetes v1.35. That feature gate switches the route controller from a fixed-interval loop to a watch-based approach that only reconciles when nodes actually change. This reduces unnecessary API calls to the infrastructure provider, lowering pressure on rate-limited APIs and allowing operators to make more efficient use of their available quota. To A/B test this, compare route_controller_route_sync_total with the feature gate disabled (default) versus enabled. In clusters where node changes are infrequent, you should see a significant drop in the sync rate with the feature gate turned on. Example: expected behavior With the feature gate disabled (the default fixed-interval loop), the counter increments steadily regardless of whether any node changes occurred: # After 10 minutes with no node changes route_controller_route_sync_total 60 # After 20 minutes, still no node changes route_controller_route_sync_total 120 With the feature gate enabled (watch-based reconciliation), the counter only increments when nodes are actually added, removed, or updated: # After 10 minutes with no node changes route_controller_route_sync_total 1 # After 20 minutes, still no node changes -- counter unchanged route_controller_route_sync_total 1 # A new node joins the cluster -- counter increments route_controller_route_sync_total 2 The difference is especially visible in stable clusters where nodes rarely change. Where can I give feedback? If you