This release updates Kubernetes to v1.34.4.
Important Note
If your server (control-plane) nodes were not started with the --token CLI flag or config file key, a randomized token was generated during initial cluster startup. This key is used both for joining new nodes to the cluster, and for encrypting cluster bootstrap data within the datastore. Ensure that you retain a copy of this token, as is required when restoring from backup.
You may retrieve the token value from any server already joined to the cluster:
cat /var/lib/rancher/rke2/server/tokenChanges since v1.34.3+rke2r3:
- Bump k3s + Bulk Backports 2026-02 (#9655)
-
- Update to CoreDNS chart 1.45.201 (#9645)
- Remove cloud-config arg from kubelet for windows (#9674)
- CNI bumps for the Feb 2026 release (#9680)
-
- Update Kubernetes Metrics Server chart 3.13.007 (#9688)
- Bump ingress-nginx to v1.14.3-hardened2 (#9697)
- Update K8s to v1.34.4 and Go to v1.24.12 (#9702)
- Bump k3s/rke2-ccm/klipper-lb/klipper-helm (#9713)
Charts Versions
| Component | Version |
|---|---|
| rke2-cilium | 1.19.001 |
| rke2-canal | v3.31.3-build2026020600 |
| rke2-calico | v3.31.300 |
| rke2-calico-crd | v3.31.300 |
| rke2-coredns | 1.45.201 |
| rke2-ingress-nginx | 4.14.302 |
| rke2-metrics-server | 3.13.007 |
| rancher-vsphere-csi | 3.5.0-rancher200 |
| rancher-vsphere-cpi | 1.12.100 |
| harvester-cloud-provider | 0.2.1100 |
| harvester-csi-driver | 0.1.2500 |
| rke2-snapshot-controller | 4.2.001 |
| rke2-snapshot-controller-crd | 4.2.001 |
| rke2-snapshot-validation-webhook | 0.0.0 |
Packaged Component Versions
| Component | Version |
|---|---|
| Kubernetes | v1.34.4 |
| Etcd | v3.6.7-k3s1 |
| Containerd | v2.1.5-k3s1 |
| Runc | v1.4.0 |
| Metrics-server | v0.8.1 |
| CoreDNS | v1.14.1 |
| Ingress-Nginx | v1.14.3-hardened2 |
| Helm-controller | v0.16.17 |
Available CNIs
| Component | Version | FIPS Compliant |
|---|---|---|
| Canal (Default) | Flannel v0.28.1 Calico v3.31.3 | Yes |
| Calico | v3.31.3 | No |
| Cilium | v1.19.0 | No |
| Multus | v4.2.3 | No |
Helpful Links
As always, we welcome and appreciate feedback from our community of users. Please feel free to:
- Open issues here
- Join our Slack channel
- Check out our documentation for guidance on how to get started.