containerd Version History

3 active, 8 end-of-life. 11 versions tracked.

containerd releases minor versions roughly every 6 months. As the default container runtime for Kubernetes (since Docker was deprecated as a runtime in K8s 1.24), containerd's versioning directly impacts cluster operations.

Recommendation

Use containerd 1.7.x or 2.0.x depending on your Kubernetes version. Check the K8s/containerd compatibility matrix, as not all combinations are supported.

Version Released End of Life Latest Patch Status
containerd 2.2 November 5, 2025 November 6, 2026 2.2.1 Active
containerd 2.1 May 7, 2025 May 5, 2026 2.1.6 Active
containerd 2.0 November 5, 2024 November 7, 2025 2.0.7 End of Life
containerd 1.7 LTS March 10, 2023 September 1, 2026 1.7.30 Security Only
containerd 1.6 LTS February 15, 2022 August 23, 2025 1.6.39 End of Life
containerd 1.5 May 3, 2021 February 28, 2023 1.5.18 End of Life
containerd 1.4 August 17, 2020 March 3, 2022 1.4.13 End of Life
containerd 1.3 September 26, 2019 March 4, 2021 1.3.10 End of Life
containerd 1.2 October 24, 2018 October 15, 2020 1.2.14 End of Life
containerd 1.1 April 23, 2018 October 23, 2019 1.1.8 End of Life
containerd 1.0 December 5, 2017 December 5, 2018 1.0.3 End of Life
View containerd Hub Page →

containerd Support Policy

containerd supports each minor version for about 12 months with security patches and bug fixes. The project maintains two active release branches simultaneously. After support ends, no further patches are provided.

What You Need to Know

containerd 1.6 is end-of-life. Upgrade to 1.7 or 2.0 for continued security patches.

containerd 2.0 changed the default CRI config format from v1 to v2. Existing config.toml files may need migration.

Kubernetes 1.26+ requires containerd 1.6.15+ or 1.7+. Check the exact version requirements for your K8s version.

NRI (Node Resource Interface) in containerd 1.7+ enables custom resource management plugins.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does containerd versioning affect Kubernetes?
Kubernetes has specific containerd version requirements. Running an unsupported combination can cause node issues. Always check the Kubernetes release notes for the supported containerd version range before upgrading either component.
How do I migrate from Docker to containerd in Kubernetes?
Since Kubernetes 1.24, Docker (dockershim) is no longer supported. Most K8s distributions already use containerd. If you're still on Docker, the migration involves updating your container runtime configuration, restarting kubelet, and verifying your pods start correctly.
How often does containerd release new versions?
Minor versions ship roughly every 6 months. Patch releases come out as needed for bug fixes and security issues. The project maintains two active release branches simultaneously.

Related Tools

K8s Deprecation Checker
Vulnerability Scanner
EOL Timeline Visualizer

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