k3sup is a command-line utility that bootstraps K3s Kubernetes clusters over SSH on local or remote machines.
The tool solves the problem of quickly setting up a working Kubernetes environment without complex configuration. It requires only SSH access and the k3sup binary to provision a K3s server and join agent nodes, delivering kubectl access in minimal time. The approach is straightforward: k3sup connects via SSH to target machines and orchestrates the K3s installation and cluster assembly remotely. The tool is written in Go and cross-compiled for Linux, Windows, macOS, and Raspberry Pi.
k3sup suits developers and operators who need rapid Kubernetes clusters for experimentation, edge deployments, or small-scale infrastructure. It works well on VMs, Raspberry Pi hardware, and any machine accessible via SSH. The community edition is ideal for manual setup of individual clusters or small multi-node deployments. For larger or repeated installations, the pro edition adds plan and apply commands that enable infrastructure-as-code and GitOps workflows, allowing cluster configurations to be versioned in Git and applied in parallel across many machines. The pro edition also includes an uninstall command for rapid cluster teardown and a get-config command to work with existing clusters.
Development activity shows consistent engagement with the project. The repository maintains active issue triage and response to user questions. Pull requests receive review and integration. The project includes documentation covering common use cases such as high-availability setups with external SQL or embedded etcd, hardware authentication support, and troubleshooting guidance for typical deployment scenarios.
