┌───────────────────────────────┐
│ Rancher Manager │
│ (multi-cluster mgmt, RBAC, │
│ auth, catalogs, UI/API) │
└──────────────┬────────────────┘
┌────────────────┬───────┴────────┬───────────────────┐
│ │ │ │
┌─────▼─────┐ ┌──────▼─────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐
│ Fleet │ │ Provisioning│ │ Virtualization│ │ Imported │
│ (GitOps) │ │ RKE2 / K3s │ │ Management │ │ EKS/AKS/GKE │
└───────────┘ │ via CAPI/ │ │ (Harvester) │ │ any CNCF k8s│
│ node drivers│ └──────┬────────┘ └──────────────┘
└──────────────┘ │
┌───────▼────────────────────────┐
│ Harvester cluster (bare metal) │
│ SLE Micro + RKE2 + KubeVirt + │
│ Longhorn + Multus + kube-vip │
└────────────────────────────────┘
Cross-cutting: Longhorn (storage) · NeuVector (runtime security) ·
Kubewarden (policy) · Elemental (OS lifecycle) · Rancher Monitoring/Logging ·
Rancher Backup · Hauler (air-gap) · Rancher Turtles (Cluster API)
| Project | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| K3s | Lightweight certified Kubernetes in a single binary | Edge, IoT, CI, homelab, dev |
| RKE2 | Security-focused distro (FIPS-capable, CIS-hardened defaults) | Datacenter, regulated/government |
| RKE1 | Docker-based legacy distro | End of life — migrate to RKE2 |
| Rancher Manager | Multi-cluster management platform | Central fleet management |
| Fleet | GitOps engine built into Rancher | App and config delivery to many clusters |
| Longhorn | Distributed block storage (CNCF) | Persistent volumes, Harvester storage |
| Harvester | HCI: VMs + storage + network on Kubernetes | VMware/OpenStack replacement, edge |
| NeuVector | Zero-trust container runtime security | Network segmentation, CVE scanning |
| Kubewarden | Policy engine (Wasm policies) | Admission control |
| Elemental | Cloud-native OS management | Immutable OS provisioning at scale |
| Rancher Turtles | Cluster API integration | CAPI-provisioned clusters in Rancher |
| Hauler | Air-gap artifact collector | Shipping images/charts across gaps |
| Rancher Desktop | Desktop k8s + container runtime | Developer workstations |
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