KevsRobots Learning Platform

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

Cover

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

< Previous Next >

You can use the arrows  ← → on your keyboard to navigate between lessons.