# kairos-io/kairos

The immutable Linux meta-distribution for edge Kubernetes.

Repository: https://github.com/kairos-io/kairos
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kairos-io-kairos
Homepage: https://kairos.io
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: kubernetes, k3s, vpn, p2p, libp2p, cloud, web3, linux-distribution, rpi, cloud-native, baremetal, edge, provisioning, containers, qrcode, immutable, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T14:07:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1860, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 15, "gap_med": 8.0, "n_releases_24m": 39}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1809, forks 140 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:39.388988+00:00)

## What it is
Kairos is an immutable Linux meta-distribution (CNCF sandbox project) that builds bootable, container-based OS images for edge, bare-metal, and cloud machines, with optional bundled Kubernetes (k3s/k0s). It provides a full machine lifecycle — install, A/B atomic upgrades via OCI registries, recovery, and optional P2P mesh bootstrapping and TPM-backed trusted boot.

## Use cases
- build an immutable bootable Kubernetes OS image from a Dockerfile
- provision a k3s cluster on Raspberry Pi edge devices
- manage OS upgrades for a fleet of machines via container registries
- install Kubernetes on bare metal with atomic A/B updates
- run a secure immutable Linux with TPM trusted boot and full disk encryption
- deploy reproducible OS images to cloud VMs on AWS, Azure, or GCP
- bootstrap multi-node clusters across regions with P2P coordination

## When to choose
- you need immutable, reproducible OS lifecycle management for edge or bare-metal Kubernetes nodes
- you want to define your node OS in a Dockerfile and upgrade via CI/CD image pushes
- you run heterogeneous hardware (Raspberry Pi, Jetson, x86 servers, cloud VMs) and want one lifecycle model
- you need trusted boot, secure boot, and measured boot for tamper-resistant edge devices

## When to avoid
- you just need a general-purpose desktop or server Linux distribution without immutability
- your workloads run entirely in the cloud with managed Kubernetes and no OS management needs
- you need a non-Linux platform or a Kubernetes distribution other than k3s/k0s without community providers
- you want a lightweight tool without adopting an immutable OS model

## Facets
- artifact type: infra-config
- maturity: active
- function: container-orchestration, deployment, infrastructure-as-code, security, configuration-management
- domain: cloud-computing, iot, self-hosted, operating-systems
- platform: cloud, self-hosted, go
- tags: immutable-linux, edge-computing, kubernetes, k3s, k0s, atomic-upgrades, bare-metal-provisioning, p2p-mesh, trusted-boot, raspberry-pi, cncf, containers, devops, linux, docker

## Member repositories
- kairos-io/kairos (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:39.388988+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 2026-08-30T03:21:19.638692+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kairos-io/kairos (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:39.388988+00:00, sha f759afc45c94)
  - homepage: https://kairos.io (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.712680+00:00, sha 57bb9626fc85)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0 (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.717915+00:00, sha a8e3ad1c918e)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.715883+00:00, sha 280e6c04cd30)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/reference/byoi (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.719794+00:00, sha 2dd4353478ab)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/installation/trustedboot (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.721655+00:00, sha aebcc8f72ee5)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/examples/without-kubernetes (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.724301+00:00, sha 9ae002c6c51a)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/installation/cloud-servers (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.725902+00:00, sha 5863ab0634f1)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/installation/edge-devices (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.727344+00:00, sha 472145120fa3)
  - site_page: https://kairos.io/docs/v4.2.0/examples/choosing-kubernetes-distribution (fetched 2026-08-29T11:00:18.728790+00:00, sha 0a00b67ee07d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.