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RKE2 vs K3s: catalog facts
RKE2	K3s
Free Free to download and run.	Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and…
Linux, Self-hosted	Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
Defaults designed to pass the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark FIPS 140-2 support	Single binary installs a conformant cluster in under a minute Runs comfortably on small ARM boards and low-memory hosts
More than a single developer or small home lab usually needs Compliance focus adds setup and operational detail	Defaults to SQLite for a single server; high availability needs etcd or an external database Bundled Traefik and ServiceLB have to be disabled if you prefer your own
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.