k3d
A command-line tool for running lightweight K3s Kubernetes clusters inside Docker containers.
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1 more ways to get k3d
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install k3d
About k3d
k3d is a lightweight wrapper that runs K3s, Rancher's minimal Kubernetes distribution, in Docker. It creates single-node and multi-node clusters in containers, which makes it quick to spin up a local Kubernetes environment for development and testing, and tear it down again.
It requires Docker 20.10.5 or later, plus kubectl to work with the cluster. It is a community project, not an official Rancher or SUSE product, and is funded through sponsorships. The current release is v5.9.0.
Strengths
- Creates single- and multi-node Kubernetes clusters in seconds
- Runs entirely inside Docker
- Suited to local development and CI pipelines
Limitations
- Requires Docker and kubectl
- Aimed at development rather than production clusters
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source, supported by sponsorships.
- License
- Open source, license not stated
- Developer
- The k3d contributors
- Platforms
- Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Best suited for
- Developers who need a disposable local Kubernetes cluster
- Categories
- Container tools, Developer tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to k3d
Compare allSoftware that can replace k3d for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
kind
A command-line tool that runs local Kubernetes clusters using Docker containers as the cluster nodes.
kind runs full Kubernetes clusters with Docker, Podman or nerdctl as nodes, documents offline and rootless use, and is still pre-1.0.
minikube
Run a local Kubernetes cluster for development and testing.
minikube runs a local Kubernetes cluster for development through a supported runtime or driver, and installs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
MicroK8s
Canonical's low-footprint Kubernetes for workstations, edge sites and CI.
MicroK8s is Canonical's low-footprint Kubernetes with one-command add-ons, installed through snap directly on the host rather than inside Docker containers.
K3s
Certified lightweight Kubernetes distribution packaged as a single binary.
K3s is the lightweight single-binary distribution k3d wraps, run directly on Linux hosts instead of inside Docker, and suited to small ARM boards.
OpenShift Local
A tool that runs a small OpenShift, MicroShift or Podman environment in a local virtual machine.
OpenShift Local runs an OpenShift, MicroShift or Podman environment in a managed local virtual machine, needing substantially more local resources than k3d.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Kubernetes
An open-source system for automating deployment, scaling and management of containerized applications across machines.
Tilt
An open-source tool that rebuilds and live-updates multi-service apps during development, locally or in Kubernetes.
Skaffold
A command-line tool that automates building, pushing and deploying applications during Kubernetes development.
Docker Engine
The container runtime that builds, packages and runs applications in Docker containers.
vCluster
A tool that creates virtual Kubernetes clusters running inside namespaces of a host cluster.
k0s
Zero-dependency Kubernetes distribution shipped as one self-contained binary.
