Upgrading K3s: Complete Guide

TL;DR # Check current version k3s --version # Upgrade server node to latest stable (run on server first) curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | INSTALL_K3S_CHANNEL=stable sh - # Upgrade to a specific version (upgrade One Minor Version at a Time) curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | INSTALL_K3S_VERSION=v1.32.5+k3s1 sh - # Then upgrade each worker node (upgrade One Minor Version at a Time) curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | INSTALL_K3S_CHANNEL=stable K3S_URL=https://<server-ip>:6443 K3S_TOKEN=<token> sh - # Verify kubectl get nodes Your Current Situation You're running: k3s version v1.28.4+k3s2 (6ba6c1b6) go version go1.20.11 v1.28 reached end-of-life in late 2024. The current stable lines as of April 2026 are v1.32 and v1.33. That means you're roughly 4 minor versions behind, which is important — you cannot jump straight from v1.28 to v1.33 in one shot. The Golden Rule: One Minor Version at a Time When attempting to upgrade to a new version of K3s, the Kubernetes version skew policy applies.