Source: https://seerepo.com/compare/containerd/nerdctl/vs/k3s-io/k3s
Markdown source: https://seerepo.com/compare/containerd/nerdctl/vs/k3s-io/k3s.md
Description: nerdctl and k3s share 4 technologies: containerd, github.com/containerd/stargz-snapshotter, github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22, and github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim. Both are written in Go.

# nerdctl vs k3s

nerdctl and k3s share 4 technologies: containerd, github.com/containerd/stargz-snapshotter, github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22, and github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim. Both are written in Go.

- [containerd/nerdctl](https://seerepo.com/r/containerd/nerdctl): contaiNERD CTL - Docker-compatible CLI for containerd, with support for Compose, Rootless, eStargz, OCIcrypt, IPFS, ...
- [k3s-io/k3s](https://seerepo.com/r/k3s-io/k3s): Lightweight Kubernetes

## What they share and what sets them apart

- In common: containerd, github.com/containerd/stargz-snapshotter, github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22, github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim
- Only in nerdctl: github.com/containerd/console, github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2, github.com/moby/moby/v2, github.com/containernetworking/cni, github.com/containerd/stargz-snapshotter/estargz, github.com/containernetworking/plugins, github.com/fahedouch/go-logrotate, github.com/fluent/fluent-logger-golang, github.com/moby/moby/client
- Only in k3s: net/http, etcd, github.com/k3s-io/kine, github.com/ipfs/go-ds-leveldb, MinIO, Rancher, k8s.io/apiserver, github.com/sirupsen/logrus, Kubernetes, github.com/rancher/wharfie, k8s.io/cloud-provider, Prometheus, k8s.io/klog/v2, github.com/go-logr/logr, k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap, github.com/containerd/fuse-overlayfs-snapshotter/v2, github.com/pdtpartners/nix-snapshotter, k8s.io/kubelet, Docker, github.com/natefinch/lumberjack, go.uber.org/zap, github.com/cloudnativelabs/kube-router/v2, github.com/containerd/zfs/v2, github.com/flannel-io/flannel, github.com/google/cadvisor/lib, github.com/ipfs/go-log/v2, github.com/Mirantis/cri-dockerd

## Side by side

| | nerdctl | k3s |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 134,383 lines written, 543 code files | 61,452 lines written, 244 code files |
| Who writes it | 1.8% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor | 0.1% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code |
| Activity | Last push November 12, 2026, 3,824 commits, 10,480 stars | Last push November 14, 2026, 3,677 commits, 34,402 stars |
| Tests | 282 test files. 33% of its code files have a test that imports them | 107 test files. 33.2% of its code files have a test that imports them |

- Size: Lines written by people and agents, without generated ones; code files, without tests.
- Who writes it: A commit counts as AI's when it carries its signature: a Co-Authored-By line, its author name or the merge of its branch.
- Activity: From GitHub and its history, on the day SeeRepo read it.
- Tests: The files that test the code, and the share of code files a test imports.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is bigger, nerdctl or k3s?

nerdctl, with 134,383 lines written; k3s has 61,452.

The proof: [containerd/nerdctl's code at commit 27dac94](https://github.com/containerd/nerdctl/tree/27dac9462451c6f2ebde1889230480111521c766)

### Which has more GitHub stars, nerdctl or k3s?

k3s, with 34,402 stars; nerdctl has 10,480.

The proof: [k3s-io/k3s on GitHub](https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s)

### Which has more tests, nerdctl or k3s?

nerdctl, with 282 test files; k3s has 107.

The proof: [containerd/nerdctl's code at commit 27dac94](https://github.com/containerd/nerdctl/tree/27dac9462451c6f2ebde1889230480111521c766)

### Which was updated more recently, nerdctl or k3s?

k3s: its last push was on November 14, 2026, and nerdctl's on November 12, 2026.

The proof: [k3s-io/k3s's commits on GitHub](https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/commits)

### Which has more commits signed by AI, nerdctl or k3s?

nerdctl: an AI signed 1.8% of its commits, with Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor; in k3s, 0.1%.

The proof: [the commits each tool signed in containerd/nerdctl](https://seerepo.com/r/containerd/nerdctl/ai)

## Sources

- containerd/nerdctl: Read on November 13, 2026, at commit 27dac94 (https://github.com/containerd/nerdctl/tree/27dac9462451c6f2ebde1889230480111521c766)
- k3s-io/k3s: Read on November 14, 2026, at commit c55a7df (https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tree/c55a7df0fc49e826072b163d2c91ab4f67f06325)

## What is your repo built with?

Any public repo, with no account: https://seerepo.com/r/owner/repo/built, with the owner and name it has on GitHub.