Below is the auto-generated changelog, which includes all PRs that went into the release. For a shorter version that highlights only important changes, see CHANGELOG.md.

What's Changed

🚀 Features

• Make endpoint picker connection flags configurable by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4105
• Update GatewayAPI to v1.4.1 by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4166
• Adding nginx_proxy access_log format ability by @tataruty in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4102
• Add SupportedFeatures to GatewayClassStatus by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4236
• Add support for backend tls config for Gateways by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/3900
• Allow RegularExpression for path match be RE2/PCRE friendly. by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4450
• Add support for multiple InferencePool backends by @bjee19 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4439

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Add the goreleaser fix from release branch by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4147
• Fix production pipeline by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4148
• Support mixed externalname and local services in single route by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4188
• Fix bug where user mounted files were being removed by agent by @bjee19 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4178
• Preserve external controller state during reconciliation by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4182
• Fix HPA race condition by reading deployment replicas instead of HPA status by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4214
• Allow HPA to work when Inference is enabled by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4247
• Deduplicate route status entries by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4250
• Fix empty pod owner name when connecting to agent by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4367
• Remove k8s API access from NGINX pod by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4368
• fix: pass IPv6 DNS resolvers correctly by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4378
• Truncate long resource names when provisioning by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4387
• Retry NGINX provisioning on all errors by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4399
• Update permissions of gateway binary for UBI by @shaun-nx in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4404
• Use UUID instead of IP address for tracking agent (#4470) by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4472
• Preserve external controller annotations for deployment and daemonSet (#4468) by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4473
• Fix hostNetwork data plane pod connection issue (#4481) by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4483

📦 Helm Chart

• Update CHANGELOG and README for 2.2.0 by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4138
• Allow disabling cert-generator with a Helm value by @fabian4 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4186
• Update docs for 2.2.1 release by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4283
• Update NGF chart logo to official branded logo by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4292
• Add clarifying comment to service template by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4321
• Release 2.3.0 by @github-actions[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4474

🧪 Tests

• NFR Test Results for NGF version 2.2.0 (#4124) by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4127
• Update Helm release opentelemetry-collector to v0.141.0 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4129, https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4197, https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4243, https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4332, https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4412
• Fix IPv6 tests and reduce logging noise in test suite by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4163
• NFR Test Results for NGF version edge by @github-actions[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4202
• Update curlimages/curl Docker tag to v8.17.0 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4225
• Update ghcr.io/nginx/kic-test-grpc-server Docker tag to v0.2.6 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4240
• Update docker/dockerfile Docker tag to v1.20 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4276
• Functional test logging/startup fixes by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4302
• Fix NFR upgrade tests by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4371
• NFR Test Results for NGF version edge by @github-actions[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4389
• NFR Test Results for NGF version v2.3.0 by @github-actions[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4453

📝 Documentation

• Move release logic to CI by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4137
• Update NGINX Agent to v3.4.2 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4162
• Update bundle for v1.0.0/v2.2.0 by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4157
• Design Session Persistence - Part 1 by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4158
• Enhancement Proposal: Authentication Filter by @shaun-nx in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4136
• Provisional ProxySettingsPolicy proposal by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4237
• Design for session persistence - Part II by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4221
• Implementable ProxySettingsPolicy proposal by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4256
• Provisional RateLimitPolicy proposal by @bjee19 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4324
• Update session persistence design by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4314
• Enhancement Proposal: Authentication Filter by @shaun-nx in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4235
• Update DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2-action action to v21 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4300
• Update NGINX Plus to R36 by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4365
• Update NGINX Agent to v3.5.1 by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4372
• Add examples for secure backend traffic guide by @salonichf5 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4341
• Update Gateway API version to 1.4.1 by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4397
• Fix typo in proposal header by @shaun-nx in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4364
• Update dependency nginx/agent to v3.6.0 by @renovate[bot] in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4425

🔨 Maintenance

• Fix helm tests in release pipeline by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4126
• Fix prod workflow permissions by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4132
• Add docker login step to avoid rate limiting by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4140
• Reduce renovate noise by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4217
• Remove observability from alpha1 by @tataruty in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4215
• Alignment for Conditions messages format by @tataruty in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4253
• Update operator bundle for v1.0.1 (#4285) by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4287
• Upload conformance profiles to the correct release by @ciarams87 in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4289
• Fix provisioning logs by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4428
• Update docs and chart for 2.2.2 by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4438
• Update dockerfile packages by @sjberman in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4448
• Update bundle output for Operator by @shaun-nx in https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/pull/4449

⬆️ Dependencies

Full Changelog: https://github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric/compare/v2.2.2...v2.3.0