k3s vs talos
k3s and talos share 9 technologies: net/http, etcd, k8s.io/apiserver, github.com/sirupsen/logrus, containerd, k8s.io/klog/v2, k8s.io/kubelet, go.uber.org/zap, and k8s.io/kube-proxy. Both are written in Go.
LinkedInWhat they share and what sets them apart
k3s-io
k3s
Lightweight Kubernetes
Go34.4kRead on November 7, 2026, at commit dca306cWhat is k3s built with?Only in k3s
- 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
- Kubernetes
- Prometheus
- github.com/go-logr/logr
github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22
- Docker
- github.com/natefinch/lumberjack
github.com/containerd/zfs/v2
- github.com/google/cadvisor/lib
- github.com/ipfs/go-log/v2
- github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim
- github.com/prometheus/common
In common
- net/http
- etcd
- k8s.io/apiserver
- github.com/sirupsen/logrus
- containerd
- k8s.io/klog/v2
- k8s.io/kubelet
- go.uber.org/zap
- k8s.io/kube-proxy
siderolabs
talos
Talos Linux is a modern Linux distribution built for Kubernetes.
Go11.5kRead on November 12, 2026, at commit 790ef2eWhat is talos built with?Only in talos
- github.com/rivo/tview
- github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2
- github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azidentity
- golang.org/x/oauth2
- github.com/digitalocean/go-libvirt
github.com/moby/moby/client
github.com/containernetworking/cni
- cloud.google.com/go/compute/metadata
github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/feature/ec2/imds
github.com/containernetworking/plugins
github.com/u-root/u-root
- github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azcore
- go.uber.org/zap/exp
Side by side
k3stalos
SizeLines written by people and agents, without generated ones; code files, without tests.
k3s61,448 lines written244 code files
talos582,559 lines written2,108 code files
Who writes itA commit counts as AI's when it carries its signature: a Co-Authored-By line, its author name or the merge of its branch.
k3s0.1% of its commits signed by AIWith Claude Code
talos0.1% of its commits signed by AIWith Claude Code
ActivityFrom GitHub and its history, on the day SeeRepo read it.
k3sLast push November 7, 20263,674 commits34,351 stars
talosLast push November 12, 20267,232 commits11,517 stars
TestsThe files that test the code, and the share of code files a test imports.
k3s107 test files33.2% of its code files have a test that imports them
talos1,075 test files74.7% of its code files have a test that imports them
Frequently asked questions
Which is bigger, k3s or talos?
talos, with 582,559 lines written; k3s has 61,448.
The proof: siderolabs/talos's code at commit 790ef2e
Which has more GitHub stars, k3s or talos?
k3s, with 34,351 stars; talos has 11,517.
The proof: k3s-io/k3s on GitHub
Which has more tests, k3s or talos?
talos, with 1,075 test files; k3s has 107.
The proof: siderolabs/talos's code at commit 790ef2e
Which was updated more recently, k3s or talos?
talos: its last push was on November 12, 2026, and k3s's on November 7, 2026.
The proof: siderolabs/talos's commits on GitHub
Which has more commits signed by AI, k3s or talos?
In both, an AI signed 0.1% of their commits.
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