Container Runtime

containerd Releases

Track containerd releases, Kubernetes CRI version compatibility, Docker Engine dependency context, and version feature comparison. Upgrade paths from 1.x to 2.x and migration guidance.

Official Site Documentation

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Total Versions

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Supported

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Latest

Version Timeline

All tracked releases with lifecycle status and EOL dates.

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Lifecycle Timeline

Visual overview of active support and maintenance windows.

1.6 LTS

1.7

2.0

2.1

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029

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Maintenance

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Upgrade Paths

Migration guidance between major versions — breaking changes, effort estimates, and tips.

1.6 1.7 Low Difficulty

Est. 30-60 minutes per node

Breaking Changes

Sandbox API changes (internal)
Some deprecated Go APIs removed
Updated default runtime to runc v2
NRI support added (opt-in)

Migration Notes

Smooth upgrade. Stop containerd, replace binary, update config.toml if needed (most configs work unchanged), restart. Test with ctr and crictl to verify.

1.7 2.0 Medium Difficulty

Est. 1-2 hours per node (including drain/uncordon)

Breaking Changes

CRI plugin config format changed (v1 → v2)
Legacy snapshotter API removed
Deprecated Go APIs removed
Plugin registration changes for custom plugins
Transfer service replaces some image operations
Some CLI flags renamed or removed

Migration Notes

Run containerd config migrate to auto-convert your config.toml. Test the new config with containerd config validate. The CRI config format change is the most impactful: if you have custom registry mirrors, sandbox images, or runtime configurations, verify they migrated correctly. Drain nodes before upgrading.

Version Risk Assessment

Evaluate risk factors before choosing a version for production.

Version	EOL Risk	CVE Risk	Ecosystem	Cloud Support	Overall	Recommended Action
containerd 1.5 and older	Critical	Critical	Dead	None	Critical	Severely outdated — known CVEs in container runtime
containerd 1.6	Critical	High	EOL	Degrading	Critical	LTS ended Feb 2025 — upgrade to 1.7 or 2.0
containerd 1.7	Medium	Low	Maintenance	Full	Medium	Supported until Jun 2025 — plan 2.0 migration
containerd 2.0	Low	Low	Active	Full	Low	Current stable — recommended
containerd 2.1	None	Low	Active	Full	Low	Latest — recommended for new installations

containerd maintains the latest 2-3 versions with patches. 1.6 LTS had extended support. Running unsupported versions on K8s nodes is a cluster security risk. Assessed March 2026.

containerd Version Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature differences across major versions.

Feature	1.6 LTS	1.7	2.0	2.1
CRI config format	v1	v1 (v2 preview)	v2	v2
Sandbox API	Legacy	Transitional	v2 Stable	v2 Enhanced
NRI support	No	Stable	Stable	Enhanced
Transfer service	No	Experimental	Stable	Stable
Image encryption	Beta	Stable	Stable	Stable
CDI device support	No	Beta	Stable	Stable
runc default version	v1	v2	v2	v2
K8s CRI version	v1	v1	v1	v1
Registry mirror config	hosts.toml	hosts.toml	hosts.toml	hosts.toml

Embed Badges

Add live containerd status badges to your README, docs, or dashboard.

Health Status

Overall support health

![containerd Health Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/health/containerd.svg)

EOL Countdown

Next end-of-life date

![containerd EOL Countdown](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/eol/containerd.svg)

Latest Version

Current stable release

![containerd Latest Version](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/v/containerd.svg)

CVE Status

Known vulnerabilities

![containerd CVE Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/cve/containerd.svg)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about containerd releases and lifecycle.

What is containerd and how does it relate to Docker?

containerd is the core container runtime that Docker Engine uses internally. When Kubernetes dropped Docker as a runtime in 1.24, the recommendation was to use containerd directly (via CRI). Docker Desktop and Docker Engine still use containerd under the hood. Switching from Docker to containerd on Kubernetes is transparent to your containers: same images, same registries, same behavior.

Which containerd version should I use with Kubernetes?

Check the Kubernetes release notes for tested containerd versions. K8s 1.28+ works with containerd 1.7+. K8s 1.30+ is tested with containerd 1.7 and 2.0. Always use the latest patch of your chosen containerd minor version. If your distro packages an older containerd, consider using the upstream packages from containerd.io.

What changed in containerd 2.0?

containerd 2.0 (released 2024) removed deprecated features: the legacy CRI plugin config format (switch to CRI v2), the older snapshotter API, and several deprecated Go APIs. It also introduced sandbox API improvements, better NRI (Node Resource Interface) support, and transfer service for improved image distribution. The CRI config migration is the main upgrade task.

How do I upgrade containerd on a Kubernetes node?

Cordon the node (kubectl cordon), drain workloads (kubectl drain --ignore-daemonsets), stop kubelet, upgrade containerd, update the config.toml if needed, restart containerd, restart kubelet, uncordon. On managed Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS), the provider handles containerd upgrades during node pool updates.

What is the containerd config.toml format change?

containerd 1.x used a CRI plugin config format at [plugins."io.containerd.grpc.v1.cri"]. containerd 2.0 uses a simplified format. The containerd config migrate command can auto-convert your config. This is the #1 gotcha in the 1.x to 2.0 upgrade.

containerd vs CRI-O: which should I use?

Both are production-grade CRI runtimes. containerd has broader adoption (Docker, nerdctl, BuildKit all use it) and a larger ecosystem. CRI-O is purpose-built for Kubernetes only and is slightly lighter. OpenShift uses CRI-O exclusively. Most other Kubernetes distributions default to containerd. Pick whichever your platform supports; both are excellent.

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