Source: https://seerepo.com/compare/k3s-io/k3s/vs/opencontainers/runc
Markdown source: https://seerepo.com/compare/k3s-io/k3s/vs/opencontainers/runc.md
Description: k3s and runc share 3 technologies: github.com/sirupsen/logrus, containerd, and github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22. Both are written in Go.

# k3s vs runc

k3s and runc share 3 technologies: github.com/sirupsen/logrus, containerd, and github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22. Both are written in Go.

- [k3s-io/k3s](https://seerepo.com/r/k3s-io/k3s): Lightweight Kubernetes
- [opencontainers/runc](https://seerepo.com/r/opencontainers/runc): CLI tool for spawning and running containers according to the OCI specification

## What they share and what sets them apart

- In common: github.com/sirupsen/logrus, containerd, github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22
- Only in k3s: net/http, etcd, go.etcd.io/etcd/client/v3, go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3, go.etcd.io/etcd/client/pkg/v3, github.com/ipfs/go-ds-leveldb, MinIO, k8s.io/apiserver, Kubernetes, k8s.io/klog/v2, Prometheus, github.com/go-logr/logr, k8s.io/kubelet, Docker, github.com/natefinch/lumberjack, go.uber.org/zap, github.com/containerd/zfs/v2, github.com/google/cadvisor/lib, github.com/ipfs/go-log/v2, github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim, github.com/prometheus/common, k8s.io/kube-proxy
- Only in runc: github.com/checkpoint-restore/go-criu/v8

## Side by side

| | k3s | runc |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 61,448 lines written, 244 code files | 32,216 lines written, 128 code files |
| Who writes it | 0.1% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code | 0.4% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code |
| Activity | Last push November 7, 2026, 3,674 commits, 34,351 stars | Last push November 9, 2026, 5,225 commits, 13,543 stars |
| Tests | 107 test files. 33.2% of its code files have a test that imports them | 51 test files. 43% 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, k3s or runc?

k3s, with 61,448 lines written; runc has 32,216.

The proof: [k3s-io/k3s's code at commit dca306c](https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tree/dca306c81c44fed1dd0621d5579785c980080ae8)

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

k3s, with 34,351 stars; runc has 13,543.

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

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

k3s, with 107 test files; runc has 51.

The proof: [k3s-io/k3s's code at commit dca306c](https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tree/dca306c81c44fed1dd0621d5579785c980080ae8)

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

runc: its last push was on November 9, 2026, and k3s's on November 7, 2026.

The proof: [opencontainers/runc's commits on GitHub](https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commits)

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

runc: an AI signed 0.4% of its commits, with Claude Code; in k3s, 0.1%.

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

## Sources

- k3s-io/k3s: Read on November 7, 2026, at commit dca306c (https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tree/dca306c81c44fed1dd0621d5579785c980080ae8)
- opencontainers/runc: Read on November 10, 2026, at commit 817ee95 (https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/tree/817ee95c66f78831b8f57c7bc3185c230240f648)

## 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.