# k3d-io/k3d

Little helper to run CNCF's k3s in Docker

Repository: https://github.com/k3d-io/k3d
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/k3d
Homepage: https://k3d.io/
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: kubernetes, docker, go, k3s, k3d, rancher, cluster
Last push: 2026-08-25T15:01:31+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 90/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 74, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2710, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 92, "gap_med": 38.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6536, forks 534 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:45.017822+00:00)

## What it is
k3d is a CLI tool written in Go that runs Rancher's lightweight k3s Kubernetes distribution inside Docker containers. It lets you spin up multi-node Kubernetes clusters on a single machine for local development and testing.

## Use cases
- run a local kubernetes cluster in docker
- spin up multi-node k3s cluster on my laptop
- test kubernetes manifests locally before deploying
- set up lightweight kubernetes for CI pipelines
- create disposable kubernetes clusters for development
- learn kubernetes without a cloud provider

## When to choose
- you need fast, lightweight local Kubernetes clusters for development or testing
- you want multi-node clusters on a single machine without heavy VMs
- you're working with k3s or edge Kubernetes workloads

## When to avoid
- you need a production-grade cluster with full Kubernetes features
- you require multi-machine or cloud-managed Kubernetes
- you don't have Docker installed or available

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: container-orchestration, cli, developer-tools, deployment
- domain: developer-tools, cloud-computing
- platform: windows, go, cli
- tags: kubernetes, k3s, local-development, docker, lightweight-kubernetes, rancher, devops, containers, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- k3d-io/k3d (main) score 90

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:45.017822+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:44:07.487938+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/k3d-io/k3d (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:45.017822+00:00, sha d9316bcc746b)
  - homepage: https://k3d.io/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:40:37.095040+00:00, sha 0cc59130a56d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.