# k3s-io/kine

Run Kubernetes on MySQL, Postgres, sqlite, not etcd.

Repository: https://github.com/k3s-io/kine
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kine
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-26T21:18:57+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2669, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 7, "gap_med": 13, "n_releases_24m": 46}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2396, forks 308 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:43.632020+00:00)

## What it is
Kine is an etcd shim that translates the etcd API into calls against SQLite, Postgres, MySQL/MariaDB, or NATS, letting Kubernetes use those backends instead of etcd. It can run standalone so any Kubernetes distribution, not just K3s, can use alternative data stores.

## Use cases
- run kubernetes without etcd using postgres as the backing store
- use mysql or mariadb as the kubernetes datastore
- use sqlite for lightweight single-node kubernetes clusters
- replace etcd in an existing k8s cluster with a sql database
- back kubernetes state with nats

## When to choose
- you already operate mysql, postgres, or sqlite infrastructure and want to reuse it for kubernetes
- you run k3s or another lightweight cluster where etcd is overkill
- you need simpler backup and restore semantics than etcd provides

## When to avoid
- you need the full etcd API for general-purpose use, since kine implements only a subset
- you run large clusters where etcd's performance and ecosystem tooling are proven
- you rely on etcd-specific features like full watch semantics or etcdctl

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: database, database-driver, middleware
- domain: databases, infrastructure-as-code, developer-tools
- platform: go, cross-platform
- tags: etcd-shim, kubernetes, k3s, sqlite, postgres, mysql, nats, containers, linux

## Member repositories
- k3s-io/kine (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:43.632020+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 2026-08-30T02:34:22.294029+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/k3s-io/kine (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:43.632020+00:00, sha 74ead89b352d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.