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Running K3s on Raspberry Pi
10% Percent Complete
Introduction
Preparing Your Raspberry Pi Cluster
Installing K3s
Using Your K3s Cluster
Real-World Deployments
Advanced Topics
Final Project
Summary
Hardware Requirements
Choose the right Raspberry Pi hardware and accessories to build a reliable and scalable K3s Kubernetes cluster.
By Kevin McAleer, 3 Minutes
Page last updated May 24, 2025
Before building your Kubernetes cluster, let’s go over the hardware requirements for running K3s effectively on Raspberry Pi.
You don’t need a datacenter — just a few small boards and some good planning.
🧠 Minimum Recommended Setup
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 | 2GB RAM minimum (4GB+ preferred) |
| SD Card or SSD | 32GB+ (SSD/NVMe preferred for longevity) |
| Ethernet & Network Switch | For node-to-node communication |
| Power Supply | Official USB-C power supply per Pi |
| Case & Cooling | Optional but recommended |
⚠️ Avoid using Wi-Fi for clustering — use wired Ethernet for best stability and performance.
🧱 Cluster Configurations
🔹 Basic 2-node Dev Cluster
- 1x Pi as master/control-plane
- 1x Pi as worker node
Great for testing, prototyping, and local workloads.
🔹 3–4 Node Homelab Cluster
- 1x Pi as master
- 2–3x Pi as workers
- Optional external NFS or SSD storage
Perfect for real-world deployments, CI/CD testing, and microservices projects.
💾 Storage Options
| Option | Notes |
|---|---|
| MicroSD Card | Cheap but wears out over time |
| USB SSD | Fast, reliable, preferred for write-heavy workloads |
| NFS/SMB Share | For shared persistent volumes (optional but useful) |
🧠 K3s includes local-path-provisioner for simple storage, but you can configure NFS or longhorn later for better performance.
🌐 Networking Checklist
- All Pis must be on the same subnet
- Each Pi should have a static IP or DHCP reservation
- Use a basic unmanaged switch or your home router
- Optional: connect Pis via USB-C Ethernet adapter or mesh Hat
🛠 Optional (But Helpful)
- External USB SSDs or NVMe adapters
- UPS (uninterruptible power supply)
- Pi racks or stackable cases with fans
- Label maker or naming stickers for nodes
📦 Example BOM (Bill of Materials)
| Item | Qty | Link Example |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB) | 3 | Pi Shop |
| 32GB+ microSD card | 3 | SanDisk Ultra or Samsung Evo |
| Official power supplies | 3 | USB-C 5V/3A |
| Gigabit network switch | 1 | TP-Link 5 or 8 port |
| Ethernet patch cables | 3–5 | Any Cat5e+ |
🧪 Next Step
Once you’ve gathered your hardware, the next step is to install the OS and prepare the nodes for Kubernetes.
Next up: Installing the Operating System
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