k3s v1.36.0+k3s1 released on 06-05-2026
k3s v1.36.0+k3s1 is out now. It packages the upstream Kubernetes 1.36 upgrade together with a set of embedded component and runtime bumps, plus installer integrity checks that make upgrades safer for cluster operators.
See the k3s project pages and the upstream Kubernetes v1.36 changelog for full details and upgrade guidance: the Kubernetes notes are here Kubernetes v1.36 changelog, and k3s documentation is available at rancher.com/docs/k3s.
What’s in this release
- Upstream Kubernetes bumped to v1.36.0 — see the Kubernetes v1.36 changelog for the full list of upstream changes.
- Installer and binary integrity hardening: sha256 verification added for kubelet, Vagrant zip and Go binary downloads, plus a sha256sum check for k3s-root.
- Runtime and embedded component upgrades: containerd → v2.2.3, runc → v1.4.2, flannel → v0.28.4, Traefik updated to v3.6.13, kine to v0.14.16 and related image bumps (klipper-helm, helm-controller, spegel, et al.).
Upgrade notes
- Check the upstream Kubernetes v1.36 changelog for any API or behaviour changes that could affect workloads before upgrading: Kubernetes v1.36 changelog.
- If you must revert, restore the previous k3s release and follow the documentation for rolling back; the k3s docs are at rancher.com/docs/k3s.
Tell us how the upgrade goes: open an issue on the k3s tracker or drop a note on the project Slack with any regressions or deployment notes you encounter.
