# kind vs Kubernetes

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Kubernetes

| Attribute | kind | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 54.2 (42% (low)) | 78.5 (38% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 16 | 83 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,126 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 15,448 | 125,197 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | kind enables developers to set up isolated Kubernetes clusters locally using Docker for testing, development, and CI/CD purposes. Originally built for testing Kubernetes itself, it provides CNCF-conformant Kubernetes clusters on a single machine. | A platform for orchestrating containerized applications across clusters of computers, automatically handling deployment, scaling, and updates based on decades of production experience at Google and community best practices. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","rootless":true,"arm_support":true,"gui_dashboard":false,"orchestration":"kubernetes","k8s_conformant":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","orchestration":"kubernetes","k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true,"windows_containers":true,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://kind.sigs.k8s.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T14:26:34.716Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://kubernetes.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T13:42:16.309Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 85 | 1 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.32.0","date":"2026-06-02T17:34:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.32.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.31.0","date":"2025-12-18T00:56:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.31.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.30.0","date":"2025-08-27T17:45:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.30.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.29.0","date":"2025-05-21T01:54:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.28.0","date":"2025-05-16T23:36:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.27.0","date":"2025-02-15T00:54:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.26.0","date":"2024-12-16T22:02:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.25.0","date":"2024-11-08T20:37:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.24.0","date":"2024-08-15T16:39:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.24.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.23.0","date":"2024-05-14T02:02:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.22.0","date":"2024-02-14T23:30:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.21.0","date":"2024-02-02T20:31:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.20.0","date":"2023-06-15T03:18:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.19.0","date":"2023-05-17T00:46:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.18.0","date":"2023-03-30T19:33:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.17.0","date":"2022-10-26T15:53:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.16.0","date":"2022-09-22T19:33:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.15.0","date":"2022-09-02T01:31:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.14.0","date":"2022-05-19T20:58:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.13.0","date":"2022-05-10T19:40:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.13.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0","date":"2026-08-26T16:29:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.36.4","date":"2026-08-20T11:48:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.35.8","date":"2026-08-20T18:59:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.34.11","date":"2026-08-20T18:45:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc.1","date":"2026-08-20T02:44:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc.0","date":"2026-08-06T12:04:57Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.36.3","date":"2026-07-23T00:35:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.35.7","date":"2026-07-22T22:28:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.34.10","date":"2026-07-22T22:01:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-beta.0","date":"2026-07-20T23:21:18Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-alpha.3","date":"2026-07-08T18:11:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-alpha.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-alpha.2","date":"2026-06-25T02:40:51Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-alpha.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.36.2","date":"2026-06-12T11:34:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.35.6","date":"2026-06-12T11:32:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.34.9","date":"2026-06-12T11:30:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.33.13","date":"2026-06-12T11:30:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.37.0-alpha.1","date":"2026-06-11T03:25:52Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-alpha.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.36.1","date":"2026-05-12T16:39:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.35.5","date":"2026-05-12T15:37:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.34.8","date":"2026-05-12T15:35:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.8"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6.6 | 7.5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=sigs.k8s.io%2Fkind&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | kind | Kubernetes |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | Kubernetes | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI / CRI compliant | - | - |
| CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Rootless operation | ✓ | - |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| Daemonless architecture | - | - |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Windows containers | - | ✓ |
| ARM architecture support | ✓ | - |
| **Workloads** |  |  |
| GPU scheduling | - | - |
| Stateful workloads | - | ✓ |
| **Networking** |  |  |
| Built-in networking / CNI | - | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Vendor-managed control plane | - | - |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| CNCF maturity | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| GUI dashboard | ✗ | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:16:56.914Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*