Kubernetes Practical By Samson Tanimawo, PhD Published Feb 18, 2026 4 min read

Cluster Component Version Skew

Control plane and nodes have version skew limits.

Rules

kubelet ≤ kube-apiserver. kube-proxy = kubelet.

Up to 2 versions skew typical.

Upgrade order

Control plane first; nodes second.

Sequential to maintain skew rules.

Rollback

Skew rules apply to rollback too.

Plan in both directions.