k3s and edge Kubernetes
k3s packs Kubernetes into a single small binary that runs on a mini PC, an industrial gateway or a small VM. It is how businesses run containerized workloads at dozens of remote sites without a data center at each one.
We deploy k3s fleets with GitOps so every site pulls its configuration from Git, plus remote access and monitoring so a site that goes dark is noticed in minutes.
At a glance
| Footprint | Single binary, sqlite or embedded etcd, under 1 GB RAM minimum |
|---|---|
| Layouts | Single node, 3-node HA, agent-only edge nodes |
| Management | Flux/Argo CD, Rancher Fleet, Tailscale/WireGuard for access |
| Hardware | Supermicro E100/E300, Intel NUC, Dell OptiPlex Micro, ARM boards |
What RackLedge does
- Standard edge image and provisioning
- GitOps fleet configuration
- Remote access and monitoring
- Offline-tolerant update strategy
How we work
Every cluster we build starts from Git. Infrastructure as code creates the cluster, Flux or Argo CD reconciles everything inside it, and no change reaches production without a pull request. That is what makes a rebuild after a bad day a matter of hours instead of weeks.
Operations are the product: monitoring with alerts that mean something, backups of cluster state and persistent volumes, upgrades on a quarterly cadence and an on-call engineer who already knows the environment. We run production Kubernetes for our own platforms, so the runbooks are ones we use ourselves.
We are honest about fit. A handful of stable services on a couple of VMs does not need Kubernetes, and we will say so. Teams that ship weekly, need to scale or run many services get real value from it.
Related services
More on kubernetes
Frequently asked questions
Can k3s run on ARM?
Yes, it supports arm64 and armhf, which makes Raspberry Pi and similar boards viable for light workloads.
Need a hand with this?
Tell us what you are running and what is slowing you down. You get a straight assessment and a plan, with no obligation. Support desk is staffed 24/7.