k0s
Campbell, California, United States
What it is
k0s is a free, self-hosted Kubernetes distribution for workloads across public and private clouds, on-premises systems, bare metal, edge, and IoT environments. It is packaged as a single binary and requires no host operating system components beyond the kernel. The project describes it as CNCF-certified Kubernetes and lists support for x86-64, ARM64, ARMv7, and RISC-V. Installation options include single-node, multi-node, air-gapped, and Docker methods. The k0sctl tool manages cluster lifecycle tasks such as upgrades and backup and restore. Kube-Router is the default networking option; custom CNI plugins are supported, with Calico listed as a preconfigured alternative. Datastore choices are etcd, SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. Listed security features include kube-bench, RBAC, network policies, control plane isolation, and OpenID provider support. Minimum requirements are 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM. k0s aims to keep its base versatile by limiting bundled add-ons such as ingress, service meshes, and storage. Mirantis offers technical support, professional services, training, and support subscriptions. FIPS 140-2 is available upon request and commercial agreement.
For and against
For
- Free for personal or commercial use.
- Single-binary packaging requires only the kernel.
- Supports four listed processor architectures.
- Offers multiple installation methods and datastore options.
- k0sctl handles upgrades and backup and restore.
Against
- FIPS 140-2 requires request and commercial agreement.
- Minimum requirements are 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM.
- Bundled ingress, service meshes, and storage are minimized.
The verdict
k0s provides a free Kubernetes base with broad deployment and architecture coverage. Its minimal add-on approach leaves teams to select components such as ingress, service meshes, and storage.
Who it suits
It suits teams deploying Kubernetes across varied infrastructure, from edge and IoT environments to data centers. Its minimal base may appeal to operators who want to choose add-ons themselves.
Plans and prices
k0s
100% open source · free for personal or commercial use
Read 5 Oct 2026 · k0sproject.io
On the record
- Architecture
- The documentation lists support for x86-64, ARM64, ARMv7, and RISC-V.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Certification
- The project describes k0s as CNCF-certified Kubernetes.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Datastores
- The documentation lists etcd, SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL datastore backends.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- FIPS
- FIPS 140-2 is available upon request and commercial agreement.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The documentation lists single-node, multi-node, air-gapped, and Docker installation methods.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Intended deployments
- The documentation says k0s is used from small far-edge deployments to large data centers.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Lifecycle
- k0sctl supports cluster lifecycle management, including upgrades and backup and restore.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Networking
- k0s uses Kube-Router by default and supports custom CNI plugins, with Calico listed as a preconfigured alternative.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Packaging
- k0s is distributed as a single binary with no host OS dependencies besides the kernel.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- k0s is a Kubernetes distribution for deploying workloads across public and private cloud, on-premises, bare metal, edge, and IoT environments.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Scope
- The project aims to provide a versatile Kubernetes base and says it minimizes bundled add-ons such as ingress, service meshes, and storage.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project site lists kube-bench, RBAC, network policies, control plane isolation, and OpenID provider support among its security features.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project identifies Mirantis as offering technical support, professional services, training, and support subscriptions with prioritized phone, web, and email support.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The documentation lists minimum requirements of 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM.docs.k0sproject.io · read 5 Oct 2026
