Rancher's Shift to Upstream Kubernetes and Enhanced Integration

So we’ve decided to eliminate the need of Rancher Kubernetes distribution, and try to upstream all our changes to the Kubernetes repo. To do that, we will be reworking our networking integration, and support Rancher networking as a [CNI plugin for Kubernetes](/docs/admin/network-plugins/#cni). More details on that will be shared as soon as the feature design is finalized, but expect it to come in the next 2-3 months. We will also continue investing in Rancher’s core capabilities integrated with Kubernetes, including, but not limited to: - Access rights management via Rancher environment that represents Kubernetes cluster - Credential management and easy web-based access to standard kubectl cli - Load Balancing support - Rancher internal DNS support - Catalog support for Kubernetes templates - Enhanced UI to represent even more Kubernetes objects like: Deployment, Ingress, Daemonset. All of that is to make Kubernetes experience even more powerful and user intuitive. We’re so excited by all of the progress in the Kubernetes community, and thrilled to be participating. Kubernetes 1.3 is an incredibly significant release, and you’ll be able to upgrade to it very soon within Rancher. ![Rancher-and-Kubernetes.png](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/isAt46fnmGerA0uPoTUlUS7y5MtmOYfMvKoTC52CK0ckUfFKVO_coY78jgLoQuxe4J3GVf3N2_IWCuKwxpRT6q_h4ek4yepfyWBmN_WSqyB2v7rRaZrpG4hPpuH0hIbIcmTDgUul)

Rancher is moving away from its custom Kubernetes distribution and aiming to contribute changes directly to the Kubernetes repository. This involves integrating Rancher networking as a CNI plugin. Rancher will also continue to invest in core capabilities integrated with Kubernetes, such as access rights management, credential management, load balancing, DNS support, catalog support, and an enhanced UI. The goal is to create a more powerful and user-friendly Kubernetes experience. The provided image visually represents the integration between Rancher and Kubernetes.