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Does Rancher support Docker?

Article Number: 000021519

Environment

Rancher
RKE2
K3s

Situation

What is the relationship between Rancher and Docker?
Rancher is a container management platform that primarily manages Kubernetes clusters. However, it can interact with Docker environments in specific scenarios.

Rancher and Single Node Docker Installation:
It's important to note that Rancher itself can be installed on a single node using Docker for testing purposes. This allows users to explore Rancher's functionalities and deploy a local Kubernetes cluster within a single machine.

Cause

With the deprecation of RKE as a product, Rancher no more references Docker as runtime since RKE2 and K3s do not use it.

Resolution

Docker Support in Rancher, RKE2, and K3s

  • Rancher:
    Rancher excels at managing Kubernetes clusters, providing a centralized interface for provisioning, monitoring, and managing multiple clusters.

  • Single Node Installation: Rancher itself can be installed on a single node using Docker for testing and demonstration purposes. It is creating a local k3s Kubernetes cluster within a Docker container.

  • Helm setup: The installation is done in an existing Kubernetes cluster, Docker requirement depends in the underlying Kubernetes Engine used during the cluster deployment (See below for Suse Rancher distributions)

  • RKE2 and K3s:

  • Containerd-based: Both RKE2 and K3s utilize containerd as the container runtime, which is a more lightweight and efficient alternative to Docker.

  • No Docker Support: Neither RKE2 nor K3s directly support Docker as a container runtime.