RKE2
The hardened one — FIPS 140-2 and CIS defaults out of the box.
92
sovereigntySUSE/Rancher's security-focused distribution: a more traditional Kubernetes footprint than k3s with FIPS 140-2 compliance and CIS-hardened defaults from the first boot. The natural step up when compliance paperwork enters the room and the natural OpenShift exit for government-adjacent shops.
OPEN SOURCEApache-2.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
LicenseApache-2.0
PricingFree; SUSE Rancher Prime per-node subscription optional (quote-priced)
Open sourceYes
Self-hostableYes
Local-first dataYes
What it does well
- +FIPS 140-2 compliant out of the box
- +CIS-hardened defaults
- +Shares tooling and lineage with k3s — easy to adopt both
Where it falls short
- −Heavier footprint than k3s
- −Commercial support pricing isn't public
RKE2 as an alternative to
Where RKE2 shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
RKE2 head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.