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K2D

K2D is an archived real-time Kubernetes Application Programming Interface (API) translator for edge devices, now superseded by Portainer Kubesolo.

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K2D is an archived real-time Kubernetes Application Programming Interface (API) translator for edge devices, now superseded by Portainer Kubesolo. It runs as a container on a Docker host and converts Kubernetes API calls into Docker API instructions executed on that host. It targets homelab and edge projects that want Kubernetes-compatible testing without a full cluster, because it uses a lightweight Docker-based implementation.

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 6 install platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)

Also on Docker Hub and GitHub

Health score

21/100 Low

Maintained
0GitHub repository is archived
Popular
43148 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
208 GB minimum RAM, runs on ARM
How is this calculated?

A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 8 days ago

GitHub stars
148
Open issues
12
Last commit
2025-06-08
Latest release
1.0.0
Activity
stale

Checked 7 days ago - source: GitHub (portainer/k2d)

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 8 GB RAM, 250 GB disk. ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 7 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Docker networking Host networking is not mandatory. When using bridge networking, set K2D_ADVERTISE_ADDR. Docker Desktop for Mac and Windows do not support host networking, so use bridge networking there. source
  • Project status K2D is archived in favor of Portainer Kubesolo. Use Kubesolo as the lightweight Kubernetes alternative. source

Fetched 2 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives

No alternatives collected yet.

Common questions

Does K2D need Kubernetes installed on the device it manages?

No, K2D runs as a single container on a Docker or Podman host and lets resource-constrained devices accept management operations via a stripped-down Kubernetes API.

Is K2D mature enough for a production homelab?

It was described as an alpha product.

Can I try K2D on a Raspberry Pi project?

It was shared for Raspberry Pi and IoT-style projects to play with, while still an alpha product.

Answers sourced from github.com, www.reddit.com

Community

Collected 7 days ago - public community threads