---
title: Dockershim
---
The Dockershim is the CRI compliant layer between the Kubelet and the Docker daemon. As part of the Kubernetes 1.20 release, the [deprecation of the in-tree Dockershim was announced](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2020/12/02/dont-panic-kubernetes-and-docker/). For more information on the deprecation and its timelines, see the [Kubernetes Dockershim Deprecation FAQ](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2020/12/02/dockershim-faq/#when-will-dockershim-be-removed).
RKE clusters now support the external Dockershim to continue leveraging Docker as the CRI runtime. We now implement the upstream open source community external Dockershim announced by [Mirantis and Docker](https://www.mirantis.com/blog/mirantis-to-take-over-support-of-kubernetes-dockershim-2/) to ensure RKE clusters can continue to leverage Docker.
RKE2 and K3s clusters use an embedded containerd as a container runtime and are not affected.
To enable the external Dockershim in versions of RKE before 1.24, configure the following option.
```
enable_cri_dockerd: true
```
Starting with version 1.24, the above defaults to true.
For users looking to use another container runtime, Rancher has the edge-focused K3s and datacenter-focused RKE2 Kubernetes distributions that use containerd as the default runtime. Imported RKE2 and K3s Kubernetes clusters can then be upgraded and managed through Rancher going forward.
### FAQ
Q: Do I have to upgrade Rancher to get Rancher’s support of the upstream external Dockershim replacement?
A: The upstream support of the Dockershim replacement `cri_dockerd` begins for RKE in Kubernetes 1.21. You will need to be on a version of Rancher that supports RKE 1.21. See our support matrix for details.
Q: I am currently on RKE with Kubernetes 1.23. What happens when upstream finally removes Dockershim in 1.24?
A: The version of Dockershim in RKE with Kubernetes will continue to work until 1.23. For information on the timeline, see the [Kubernetes Dockershim Deprecation FAQ](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2020/12/02/dockershim-faq/#when-will-dockershim-be-removed). After this, starting in 1.24, RKE will default to enabling `cri_dockerd` by default and will continue to do for versions afterwards.
Q: What are my other options if I don’t want to depend on the Dockershim or cri_dockerd?
A: You can use a runtime like containerd with Kubernetes that does not require Dockershim support. RKE2 or K3s are two options for doing this.
Q: If I am already using RKE1 and want to switch to RKE2, what are my migration options?
A: Today, you can stand up a new cluster and migrate workloads to a new RKE2 cluster that uses containerd. Rancher is exploring the possibility of an in-place upgrade path.