Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

k3sup VS k3s

Compare k3sup VS k3s and see what are their differences

k3sup logo k3sup

from Zero to KUBECONFIG in < 1 min 🚀. Contribute to alexellis/k3sup development by creating an account on GitHub.

k3s logo k3s

K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution by Rancher Labs intended for IoT, Edge, and cloud deployments.
  • k3sup Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27
  • k3s Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-09

k3sup features and specs

  • Simplicity
    k3sup simplifies the process of setting up a lightweight Kubernetes cluster by providing an easy-to-use CLI tool, reducing the manual effort involved.
  • Speed
    It significantly speeds up the installation of k3s by automating many of the steps, allowing users to get a cluster up and running quickly.
  • Portability
    k3sup is compatible with various environments, including Raspberry Pi, virtual machines, and cloud services, offering flexibility in deployment.
  • No Overhead
    Since k3sup installs k3s without any additional overhead, it maintains the lightweight nature of the k3s distribution.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, k3sup allows developers to contribute to its development and adapt the source code to suit their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of k3sup

  • Limited to k3s
    k3sup is specifically designed for k3s and may not be suitable for users who need to work with larger Kubernetes distributions or have specific deployment requirements not covered by k3s.
  • Basic Features
    While k3sup simplifies setup, it might lack some of the advanced features that more robust, full-featured Kubernetes management tools provide.
  • Community Support
    As a smaller, community-driven project, k3sup may not offer the same level of support and resources as more established Kubernetes tools.
  • Limited Automation
    Although k3sup automates the installation of k3s, further configuration and management of the cluster after setup may require additional scripting or manual intervention.
  • Dependency on SSH
    k3sup relies on SSH for remote connections, which means it requires proper SSH setup and permissions, potentially complicating configurations for some users.

k3s features and specs

  • Lightweight
    K3s is designed to be lightweight and less resource-intensive compared to full Kubernetes distributions, making it ideal for edge and IoT devices, as well as development environments.
  • Easy Installation
    K3s provides a simple installation process, requiring only a single binary for installation, which simplifies the setup procedure for users.
  • Low Resource Usage
    By stripping away non-essential features, K3s consumes significantly fewer resources, lowering the barrier to entry for running Kubernetes on resource-constrained environments.
  • Fully CNCF Conformant
    K3s is certified by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as conformant with standard Kubernetes, meaning it follows the same API and operational model.
  • Built-In Database
    K3s includes an embedded SQLite database by default, which simplifies deployment and reduces the complexity associated with managing an external etcd cluster.
  • Automated TLS Management
    K3s has integrated support for TLS certificates management, which helps in ensuring secure communications between components without additional configuration.
  • Ecosystem Compatibility
    K3s supports popular Kubernetes add-ons and CI/CD tools, so it can be seamlessly integrated into existing Kubernetes-based workflows.

Possible disadvantages of k3s

  • Reduced Feature Set
    To keep K3s lightweight, some non-essential Kubernetes features and components are omitted or replaced, which might limit functionality for more advanced use cases.
  • Lack of Scalability
    K3s is optimized for smaller clusters and edge environments, so it may not scale as efficiently as standard Kubernetes distributions in large, enterprise-level deployments.
  • Embedded SQLite Limitations
    While the built-in SQLite database simplifies initial setup, it may not handle high write loads or offer the same reliability and performance as an external etcd cluster for production environments.
  • Community and Enterprise Support
    Although supported by the Kubernetes community, K3s may have less enterprise-grade support and fewer educational resources compared to other full-featured Kubernetes distributions.
  • Ecosystem Integration
    Certain Kubernetes tools or cloud services optimized for full Kubernetes distributions may not work seamlessly with K3s, requiring custom configurations or workarounds.
  • Limited Networking Options
    K3s might have fewer networking configuration options compared to full-featured Kubernetes implementations, potentially restricting advanced network setup.
  • Simplified Security Model
    K3s implements a simplified security model which might lack some advanced security features and policies found in the standard Kubernetes distribution.

k3sup videos

I - Pi &amp; Kubernetes with k3s, k3sup, arkade and OpenFaaS

k3s videos

Siroko K3s Sun Glasses Unboxing and Review | Big Muscle Gains

More videos:

  • Review - Elecraft K3S Transceiver Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to k3sup and k3s)
Cloud Computing
22 22%
78% 78
DevOps Tools
23 23%
77% 77
Developer Tools
23 23%
77% 77
Application And Data
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, k3s should be more popular than k3sup. It has been mentiond 175 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

k3sup mentions (29)

  • How do you archive your side hobby projects?
    I recommend learning docker first, then pick a vps host from vpsbenchmarks, then use k3sup to deploy a kubernetes cluster on that, then follow a getting-started kubernetes tutorial from there. You'll also want to buy a domain name with tld-list and then provision a TLS certificate with cert-manager and letsencrypt (skip steps 1-4 because Google Cloud is overpriced). Source: about 2 years ago
  • What do you use as a kubernetes base?
    I just installed k3s yesterday using k3sup on 6 VMs (3 masters, 3 workers) each with 2GB RAM ( limited by the actual RAM on hardware, for now ) with Ubuntu 22.04 as the base OS. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What's a cheap way to setup your own Kubernetes cluster locally or remote?
    k3s installed with k3sup, longhorn for storage, kube-vip for API VIP, and MetalLB for service load balancer using local subnet, and of course Rancher. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Easiest way to provision and configure ephemeral cluster locally
    Yeah, this is the answer, but I would use this with K3S: https://github.com/alexellis/k3sup. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Despliega un clúster de Kubernetes en segundos con k3sup
    $ curl -sLS https://get.k3sup.dev | sh x86_64 Downloading package https://github.com/alexellis/k3sup/releases/download/0.12.12/k3sup as /home/ec2-user/k3sup Download complete. ============================================================ The script was run as a user who is unable to write to /usr/local/bin. To complete the installation the following commands may need to be run... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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k3s mentions (175)

  • Scaling Spin Apps With KEDA
    Setting up the Kubernetes cluster and the AWS SQS queue is outside the scope of this article, but you can deploy an Amazon EKS cluster by following this guide, or use k3s as a lightweight, local alternative. For setting up an SQS queue, refer to this tutorial. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • My 2024 review
    Start with small-scale experiments using k3s/k3d. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Using SpinKube on Kairos
    This will initialize K3S (a lightweight Kubernetes distribution), and will configure the Kairos SpinKube bundle we will install in a moment. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • A Very Deep Dive Into Docker Builds
    Finally the main reason for us is the choice of runtime. We have very decent container runtimes (RKE, RHOS, K3s) available to deploy applications. We are very familiar with them, and they offer us a lot of functionality. These all support containers primarily. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Building a Kubernetes Cluster from Scratch With K3s And MetalLB
    I used K3S in my cluster because it is a lightweight, stripped-down version of Kubernetes that’s ideal for running on resource-constrained devices like Raspberry PIs I plan to use in my home lab cluster. K3S can be installed through a shell script:. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing k3sup and k3s, you can also consider the following products

Kind - Kind is a web-based tool that provides you the features to operate the local kubernetes clusters with the help of a docker container named nodes.

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Helm.sh - The Kubernetes Package Manager

Docker Compose - Define and run multi-container applications with Docker

Docker Swarm - Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.