Gardener vs RKE2

Gardener vs RKE2
Fact	Gardener	RKE2
Language	Go	Go
Licence	Apache-2.0	Apache-2.0
Stars	3.5k	2.4k
Latest	v1.151.2	v1.37.1+rke2r1
Last push	2026-10-06	2026-10-05
Release cadence	about 2 days between releases	too few releases
Active contributors	68 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days	19 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days
Flags	none	none

How they relate

Both replace Amazon EKS. Alternatives to Amazon EKS →
Full replacementGardenerRuns Kubernetes control planes as a service across clouds and on-premises infrastructure.
Full replacementRKE2Conformant Kubernetes distribution with a CIS-hardened default configuration, on hosts you run.

v1.151.22026-09-28[OPERATOR] Gardenlets can now be configured with .spec.deployment.chartsImageVectorOverwrite (mirrors the existing .spe…
v1.150.32026-09-25[OPERATOR] Gardenlets can now be configured with .spec.deployment.chartsImageVectorOverwrite (mirrors the existing .spe…
v1.149.52026-09-24[OPERATOR] Plutono dashboard sources reload after a configuration change by @TeodorDichev [#15732]
v1.152.02026-09-24[DEVELOPER] e2e tests are now running with Kubernetes v1.36. by @ary1992 [#15358]
v1.151.12026-09-19[OPERATOR] Plutono dashboard sources reload after a configuration change by @TeodorDichev [#15734]

v1.33.13+rke2r32026-10-02> [!NOTE]
v1.33.13-rc5+rke2r32026-10-02[release-1.33] Update step to keep binary tarballspre-release
v1.33.13-rc4+rke2r32026-10-01[release-1.33] Replace download assets steppre-release
v1.33.13-rc3+rke2r32026-10-01[release-1.33] Bump k3s and etcdpre-release
v1.36.5+rke2r12026-09-30> [!WARNING]

unsigned The latest release, v1.151.2, carries no signature GitHub could verify.

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✓ signed The latest release, v1.37.1+rke2r1, carries a signature GitHub verified.

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