# Gateway API 1.6 stabilizes portable TCP and UDP routing > Gateway API 1.6 moves TCPRoute and UDPRoute into the stable v1 API and separates future experimental resources into an explicitly different group. Canonical URL: https://www.devobs.io/news/news-gateway-api-1-6-release/ By: Finn Larson Published: 2026-09-06T11:58:54.646Z Updated: 2026-09-06T11:58:54.646Z Event date: 2026-08-03 Section: Infrastructure Kubernetes SIG Network announced Gateway API 1.6 on August 3, following the project’s June 30 release. The [official post](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/08/03/gateway-api-v1-6-release/) marks `TCPRoute` and `UDPRoute` as Standard resources in the `gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1` API, bringing portable layer-four routing into the stable channel. ## Raw protocols gain a shared model A Gateway listener can now accept a stable TCPRoute or UDPRoute that forwards by protocol and port. That covers services such as databases, DNS, voice, games, and device traffic that do not use HTTP semantics. Previously, teams often used a plain Service or a controller-specific custom resource, making configurations harder to move between conformant implementations. The earlier `v1alpha2` versions are deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Implementations still determine which features they support, so users should check the project’s conformance results and their controller’s release notes before changing manifests. ## Experimental APIs get a visible boundary New experimental resources move to `gateway.networking.x-k8s.io` and gain an `X` prefix. Version 1.6 introduces `XBackend`, an experimental decorator for Service and other backend types, including external-hostname destinations. If an experimental kind graduates, the project expects it to move into the standard group and lose the prefix. That separation makes risk easier to see in source control and policy. Platform teams can allow stable Gateway kinds broadly while placing explicit review around the experimental group. A migration test should verify controller conformance, listener attachment, backend selection, connection draining, and failure behavior for both TCP and UDP. The stable API creates a common contract; packet handling, load-balancing details, and operational limits still belong to each implementation. ## Source references -