Merge pull request #30447 from SergeyKanzhelev/dockershim-removal-blog

dockershim removal readiness blog post

Author: k8s-ci-robot

content/en/blog/_posts/2021-11-12-are-you-ready-for-dockershim-removal/index.md

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+---
+layout: blog
+title: "Dockershim removal is coming. Are you ready?"
+date: 2021-11-12
+slug: are-you-ready-for-dockershim-removal
+---
+
+**Author:** Sergey Kanzhelev, Google. With reviews from Davanum Srinivas, Elana Hashman, Noah Kantrowitz, Rey Lejano.
+
+Last year we announced that Dockershim is being deprecated: [Dockershim Deprecation FAQ](/blog/2020/12/02/dockershim-faq/).
+Our current plan is to remove dockershim from the Kubernetes codebase soon.
+We are looking for feedback from you whether you are ready for dockershim
+removal and to ensure that you are ready when the time comes.
+**Please fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/svCJmhvTv78jGdSx8**.
+
+The dockershim component that enables Docker as a Kubernetes container runtime is
+being deprecated in favor of runtimes that directly use the [Container Runtime Interface](/blog/2016/12/container-runtime-interface-cri-in-kubernetes/)
+created for Kubernetes. Many Kubernetes users have migrated to
+other container runtimes without problems. However we see that dockershim is
+still very popular. You may see some public numbers in recent [Container Report](https://www.datadoghq.com/container-report/#8) from DataDog.
+Some Kubernetes hosting vendors just recently enabled other runtimes support
+(especially for Windows nodes). And we know that many third party tools vendors
+are still not ready: [migrating telemetry and security agents](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/migrating-from-dockershim/migrating-telemetry-and-security-agents/#telemetry-and-security-agent-vendors).
+
+At this point, we believe that there is feature parity between Docker and the
+other runtimes. Many end-users have used our [migration guide](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/migrating-from-dockershim/)
+and are running production workload using these different runtimes. The plan of
+record today is that dockershim will be removed in version 1.24, slated for 
+release around April of next year. For those developing or running alpha and
+beta versions, dockershim will be removed in December at the beginning of the
+1.24 release development cycle.
+
+There is only one month left to give us feedback. We want you to tell us how
+ready you are.
+
+**We are collecting opinions through this survey: [https://forms.gle/svCJmhvTv78jGdSx8](https://forms.gle/svCJmhvTv78jGdSx8)**
+To better understand preparedness for the dockershim removal, our survey is
+asking the version of Kubernetes you are currently using, and an estimate of
+when you think you will adopt Kubernetes 1.24. All the aggregated information
+on dockershim removal readiness will be published.
+Free form comments will be reviewed by SIG Node leadership. If you want to
+discuss any details of migrating from dockershim, report bugs or adoption
+blockers, you can use one of the SIG Node contact options any time:
+https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master/sig-node#contact
+
+Kubernetes is a mature project. This deprecation is another
+step in the effort to get away from permanent beta features and providing more
+stability and compatibility guarantees. With the migration from dockershim you
+will get more flexibility and choice of container runtime features as well as
+less dependencies of your apps on specific underlying technology. Please take
+time to review the [dockershim migration documentation](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/migrating-from-dockershim/)
+and consult your Kubernetes hosting vendor (if you have one) what container runtime options are available for you.
+Read up [container runtime documentation with instructions on how to use containerd and CRI-O](/docs/setup/production-environment/container-runtimes/#container-runtimes)
+to help prepare you when you're ready to upgrade to 1.24. CRI-O, containerd, and
+Docker with [Mirantis cri-dockerd](https://github.com/Mirantis/cri-dockerd) are
+not the only container runtime options, we encourage you to explore the [CNCF landscape on container runtimes](https://landscape.cncf.io/card-mode?category=container-runtime&grouping=category)
+in case another suits you better.
+
+Thank you!