HashiCorp Consul 1.13 is now generally available, offering enhanced features such as a Consul on Kubernetes CNI plugin, CLI enhancements for Envoy troubleshooting, and cluster peering in beta. The new Consul on Kubernetes CNI plugin simplifies traffic redirection configuration by distributing a chained CNI plugin that handles the pod's lifecycle network setup phase, removing the need for CAP_NET_ADMIN privileges. Additionally, Consul 1.13 introduces CLI commands to quickly troubleshoot Envoy configuration issues via the `consul-k8s` proxy list and read commands. The terminating gateway has also been enhanced to communicate with external services using transparent proxy, enabling seamless communication with external services by allowing administrators to create an allowed list of external hostnames or IP addresses. Cluster peering is a new feature that enables secure service connectivity between Consul datacenters, regardless of network topology or team ownership, providing fine-grained connectivity and operational autonomy.