compare
Kubernetes vs RKE2
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Kubernetes | RKE2 |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Go | Go |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 128k | 2.4k |
| Latest | v1.37.1 | v1.37.1+rke2r1 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-05 |
| Release cadence | about 1 day between releases | too few releases |
| Active contributors | 73+ 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 replacementKubernetesThe upstream project EKS runs, operated on your own machines including the control plane.
Full replacementRKE2Conformant Kubernetes distribution with a CIS-hardened default configuration, on hosts you run.
Kubernetes
- v1.38.0-alpha.12026-09-29See kubernetes-announce@. Additional binary downloads are linked in the CHANGELOG.pre-release
- v1.34.122026-09-23See kubernetes-announce@. Additional binary downloads are linked in the CHANGELOG.
- v1.35.92026-09-23See kubernetes-announce@. Additional binary downloads are linked in the CHANGELOG.
- v1.36.52026-09-23See kubernetes-announce@. Additional binary downloads are linked in the CHANGELOG.
- v1.37.12026-09-23See kubernetes-announce@. Additional binary downloads are linked in the CHANGELOG.
RKE2
- 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]
Kubernetes
unsigned The latest release, v1.37.1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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RKE2
✓ signed The latest release, v1.37.1+rke2r1, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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