containerd 2.0: first major release since 2017

2024-11-05 · Publisher : containerd · Domain : Cloud & DevOps

On 5 November 2024, maintainers release containerd 2.0, the first major release since 1.0 in 2017: removal of deprecated features, NRI enabled by default and image verifier plugins.

### Background On 5 November 2024, maintainers announce **containerd 2.0**, the container runtime's first major release since 1.0 in 2017. It removes features deprecated over nine years, stabilizes experimental 1.7 features and paves the way for later releases. It lands a few days before KubeCon North America (12 to 15 November). ### Key facts - **NRI** (Node Resource Interface) is enabled by default: this extension mechanism modifies low-level container configuration, like a Kubernetes mutating webhook. - Image verifier plugins let you enforce a policy at image-pull time; they are not yet usable with Kubernetes, as the CRI plugin is not wired to the transfer service. - The transfer service, introduced in 1.7, becomes stable. - Deprecation warnings, visible with `ctr deprecations list` since versions 1.7.21 and 1.6.36, help spot removed features. - Version 1.7 moves to extended support on 5 May 2025; 2.1 targets OCI volume sources. ### Why it matters For operators, containerd is one of the two common runtimes under Kubernetes: 2.0 is therefore a migration deadline, not a detail. Kubernetes 1.35 (December 2025) is the last version to support containerd 1.x; teams must move to 2.0 or later before the next one. They should check which deprecated features their tooling uses before switching. According to the maintainer's post, the 1.6 branch keeps receiving fixes until the next long-term support release. ### Takeaway containerd 2.0 sets the deadline: moving to the 2.x branch becomes mandatory before the Kubernetes release after 1.35.

Tags : Conteneurs, Kubernetes, Cloud natif, Open Source