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Last updated : Apr 26, 2023
NOT ON THE CURRENT EDITION
This blip is not on the current edition of the Radar. If it was on one of the last few editions, it is likely that it is still relevant. If the blip is older, it might no longer be relevant and our assessment might be different today. Unfortunately, we simply don't have the bandwidth to continuously review blips from previous editions of the Radar. Understand more
Apr 2023
Adopt ? We feel strongly that the industry should be adopting these items. We use them when appropriate on our projects.

K3s remains our default Kubernetes distribution for edge computing needs and resource-constrained environments. It's a lightweight, fully compliant Kubernetes but with reduced operational overhead. It uses sqlite3 as the default storage backend instead of etcd. It has a reduced memory footprint because it runs all relevant components in a single process. We've used K3s in environments like industrial control systems and point-of-sale machines, and we're quite happy with our decision. With the K3s runtime containerd now supporting wasm, K3s can run and manage WebAssembly workloads directly, further reducing the runtime overhead.

Oct 2021
Trial ? Worth pursuing. It is important to understand how to build up this capability. Enterprises should try this technology on a project that can handle the risk.

K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution built for IoT and edge computing. You get the benefits of a fully compliant Kubernetes but with reduced operational overhead. Its enhancements include lightweight storage backends (sqlite3 as default instead of etcd), a single binary package with minimal OS dependencies and reduced memory footprint, all of which make K3s suitable for resource-constrained environments. We've used K3s in point-of-sale machines, and we're quite happy with our decision.

Oct 2020
Assess ? Worth exploring with the goal of understanding how it will affect your enterprise.

K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution built for IoT and edge computing. It's packaged as a single binary and has minimal to no OS dependencies, making it really easy to operate and use. It uses sqlite3 as the default storage backend instead of etcd. It has a reduced memory footprint because it runs all relevant components in a single process. It also achieves a smaller binary by stripping out third-party storage drivers and cloud providers that are not relevant for the K3s use cases. For environments with constrained resources, K3s is a pretty good choice and worth considering.

Published : Oct 28, 2020

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