# alexellis/k3sup

bootstrap K3s over SSH in < 60s 🚀

Repository: https://github.com/alexellis/k3sup
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/k3sup
Homepage: https://github.com/sponsors/alexellis
Language: Go
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: kubernetes, raspberry-pi, cloud, vm, go, k3s, k8s, edge, devops, devtools, cloud-native
Last push: 2026-08-19T13:35:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 85/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 61, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2575, "days_push": 14, "days_rel": 182, "gap_med": 87.0, "n_releases_24m": 5}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 7424, forks 431 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:59.803300+00:00)

## What it is
k3sup is a lightweight Go CLI tool that bootstraps a K3s Kubernetes cluster on any local or remote VM over SSH, getting you a working KUBECONFIG in under a minute. It supports joining agent nodes, HA multi-master setups, and offers a Pro edition with plan/apply GitOps-style automation.

## Use cases
- bootstrap a k3s cluster over ssh
- get a kubeconfig for a remote vm in under a minute
- set up kubernetes on a raspberry pi
- join worker nodes to a k3s cluster
- create a multi-master HA k3s cluster
- quickly provision kubernetes for a homelab

## When to choose
- you need a fast, minimal Kubernetes setup on VMs, edge devices, or Raspberry Pis using only SSH access
- you want a simple CLI-driven alternative to heavier installers like kubeadm or Rancher
- you want HA k3s with embedded etcd or external SQL without manual steps

## When to avoid
- you need a full-featured Kubernetes distribution with a management UI like Rancher or OpenShift
- you cannot use SSH to reach the target machines
- you require managed Kubernetes from a cloud provider
- you need declarative, GitOps-managed cluster lifecycle out of the box without the Pro edition

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, container-orchestration, cli, infrastructure-as-code
- domain: cloud-computing, self-hosted, developer-tools
- platform: windows, cli, go, cross-platform
- tags: k3s, kubernetes, ssh, edge-computing, raspberry-pi, homelab, kubeconfig, bootstrap, devops, containers, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- alexellis/k3sup (main) score 85

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:59.803300+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 2026-08-29T17:37:44.967177+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/alexellis/k3sup (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:59.803300+00:00, sha 84f9971be9ca)
  - homepage: https://github.com/sponsors/alexellis (fetched 2026-08-29T08:33:12.710393+00:00, sha 6b06b8c1772d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.