Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) provides container-centric solutions based on open source Kubernetes. As new Kubernetes versions are released, the list of versions that are supported by ACK also changes. This topic describes how ACK supports different Kubernetes versions.
Release history
The following table describes the Kubernetes major versions that are supported by ACK clusters and serverless Kubernetes (ASK) clusters.
Version | Status | Released at | Outdated at |
Released | April 2023 | April 2025 | |
Released | September 2022 | September 2024 | |
Released | December 2021 | December 2023 | |
Outdated | April 2021 | April 2023 | |
Outdated | September 2020 | September 2022 | |
Outdated | February 2020 | June 2022 | |
1.14 | Outdated | August 2019 | July 2021 |
Outdated | March 2019 | December 2020 |
Release cycle
Beginning January 1, 2020, ACK supports only the even-numbered major versions of Kubernetes, such as 1.22, 1.24, and 1.26. These versions will be referred to as major versions in the ACK documentation. ACK updates the list of major versions supported by ACK every six months. ACK usually releases patch versions to update features or fix vulnerabilities after releasing major versions.
Version description
The Kubernetes versions supported by ACK follow the semantic versioning scheme in the x.y.z-aliyun.n format. x.y.z is the open source Kubernetes version. x is the primary version, y is the major version, and z is the patch version. For example, version 1.24.6-aliyun.1 is based on open source Kubernetes 1.24.6. For more information about Kubernetes versions, see Kubernetes Release Versioning.
Rules for supporting Kubernetes versions
Cluster creation
ACK allows you to create clusters of the latest three even-numbered major versions. For example, when the latest major version is 1.26, you can create clusters of 1.22, 1.24, and 1.26. However, when ACK starts to support 1.28, you can no longer create clusters of 1.22.
Cluster update
ACK allows you to update ACK clusters from a major version to the following major version. You cannot skip major versions when you update ACK clusters. For patch versions, ACK allows you to update an ACK cluster only to the latest patch version.
Technical support
Alibaba Cloud provides technical support for the latest three major versions. Technical support provided by Alibaba Cloud includes consultation, online tutorials, and troubleshooting.
Outdated Kubernetes versions
Security and stability risks exist in outdated Kubernetes versions. We recommend that you update your clusters if they use outdated Kubernetes versions. ACK does not provide patches or troubleshooting for outdated Kubernetes versions. Technical support for outdated Kubernetes versions is not guaranteed.
References
For more information about the versions supported by ACK, see Overview of Kubernetes versions supported by ACK.
For more information about the update notes for ACK clusters, see Kubernetes version update notes for ACK clusters.