---
title: MicroK8s vs k3s vs Minikube
description: 'Feature comparison of lightweight Kubernetes distributions: MicroK8s,
  K3s and minikube.'
url: https://canonical.com/microk8s/compare?format=md
---

# MicroK8s vs K3s vs minikube

Lightweight Kubernetes distributions are becoming increasingly popular for local development, edge/IoT container
management and self-contained application deployments. If you are looking to run Kubernetes on devices lighter in
resources, have a look at the table below. MicroK8s stands out for its simplicity, robustness and completeness.

[Get in
touch](https://canonical.com/microk8s/contact-us)

---

## Compare features

| Feature |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CNCF certified | yes | yes | yes |
| Vanilla Kubernetes | yes | – | yes |
| Architecture support | x86, ARM64, s390x, POWER9 | x86, ARM64, ARMhf | x86, ARM64, ARMv7, ppc64, s390x |
| Enterprise support | yes | yes | – |
| Single-node support | yes | yes | yes |
| Multi-node cluster support | yes | yes | – |
| Automatic high availability | yes | yes | – |
| Automatic updates | yes | yes | – |
| Memory requirements | 540 MB | 512 MB | 644 MB |
| Add-on functionality | yes | – | yes |
| Container runtime | containerd, kata | CRI-O, containerd | Docker, containerd, CRI-O |
| Networking | Calico, Cilium, CoreDNS, Traefik,   NGINX, Ambassador, Multus, MetalLB | Flannel, CoreDNS, Traefik, Canal,   Klipper | Calico, Cilium, Flannel, ingress, DNS,   Kindnet |
| Default storage options | Hostpath storage, OpenEBS, Ceph | Hostpath storage, Longhorn | Hostpath storage |
| GPU acceleration | yes | yes | yes |

---

## Why MicroK8s?

Selecting your lightweight Kubernetes distribution depends on the use case, the resource constraints and your
familiarity with the Kubernetes internals.

MicroK8s is the easiest way to consume Kubernetes as it abstracts away much of the complexity of managing the
lifecycle of clusters. Its low-touch UX automates or simplifies operations such as deployment, clustering, and
enabling of auxiliary services required for a production-grade K8s environment. Compared to other lightweight
distributions MicroK8s is the only option that provides a single-command installation, automatic high
availability clustering and automatic updates.

Robustness is a key primitive, particularly for production environments. Transactional over-the-air patching and
security fixes, provided through the snap package as well as self-healing high availability of the Kubernetes
control plane services, give MicroK8s the edge for mission-critical workload support.

With MicroK8s you get a complete, CNCF-compliant Kubernetes environment and all the services you need to run
your OCI containers at scale, such as networking & load balancing, storage, service mesh, observability, GPU
& FPGA acceleration, multi-cluster management and more - something unique among lightweight Kubernetes
distributions.

---

## MicroK8s and Kubernetes resources

### Webinars

* [An
  intro to MicroK8s](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/378029?utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web&utm_content=microk8s&utm_campaign=webcasts-search-results-feed)
* [K8s at the edge:
  easy as "Pi"](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/488796)
* [Embedded Kubernetes for secure IoT Edge](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/522563)
* [MicroK8s
  on IBM Z — minimal footprint meets zero downtime](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/519512?utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web&utm_content=canonical&utm_term=search-result-7&utm_campaign=webcasts-search-results-feed)
* [Self-healing
  Kubernetes at the edge: MicroK8s, Raspberry Pis and Portainer](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/508196?utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web&utm_content=canonical&utm_term=search-result-19&utm_campaign=webcasts-search-results-feed)
* [Simplifying
  Kubernetes across the Clouds: MicroK8s on NVIDIA Tech Stack](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/481263?utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web&utm_content=microk8s&utm_term=search-result-1&utm_campaign=webcasts-search-results-feed)
* [Micro clouds: Building your Kubernetes edge
  computing strategy](https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6793/451745)

---

### Whitepaper

* [Kubernetes: a secure, flexible and automated edge for
  IoT developers](https://ubuntu.com/engage/microk8s-451research)

---

## Get help with K8s

Our expert cloud team

help with:

* Project evaluation
* Requirements and feature review
* Pricing and TCO assessment
* Migration and embedding strategy

[Contact
us](https://canonical.com/microk8s/contact-us)

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