compare
K3s vs minikube
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | K3s | minikube |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Go | Go |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 34k | 32k |
| Latest | v1.37.1+k3s1 | v1.39.0 |
| Last push | 2026-10-02 | 2026-09-28 |
| Release cadence | about 1 day between releases | about 126 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 28 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 31+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
K3s replaces minikube. Alternatives to minikube →
Full replacementA single-binary Kubernetes distribution that runs on a laptop and in production alike.
K3s
- v1.34.12+k3s12026-09-30> [!WARNING]
- v1.34.12-rc2+k3s12026-09-24[Release-1.34] Improve CA hash validationpre-release
- v1.35.9+k3s12026-09-30> [!WARNING]
- v1.35.9-rc2+k3s12026-09-24[Release-1.35] Reject anonymous access to supervisor router (spegel/pprof/metrics)pre-release
- v1.36.5+k3s12026-09-30> [!WARNING]
minikube
- v1.39.02026-09-02📣😀 Please fill out our fast 5-question survey so that we can learn how & why you use minikube, and what improvements…
- v1.38.12026-02-19📣😀 Please fill out our fast 5-question survey so that we can learn how & why you use minikube, and what improvements…
- v1.38.02026-01-29📣😀 Please fill out our fast 5-question survey so that we can learn how & why you use minikube, and what improvements…
- v1.37.02025-09-09📣😀 Please fill out our fast 5-question survey so that we can learn how & why you use minikube, and what improvements…
- v1.36.02025-05-22📣😀 Please fill out our fast 5-question survey so that we can learn how & why you use minikube, and what improvements…
K3s
unsigned The latest release, v1.37.1+k3s1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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minikube
unsigned The latest release, v1.39.0, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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