diff --git a/docs/adrs/007-add-kine-support.md b/docs/adrs/007-add-kine-support.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f374b49000
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/adrs/007-add-kine-support.md
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# Add kine support to RKE2
+
+## Established
+
+## Revisit by
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+This ADR is a introduction of kine support for RKE2. However, for this support to be implemented, it was necessary to add kine with TLS in K3s.
+Which was done in this [PR](https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/pull/9572), It was needed since rke2 cannot connect to kine without tls via the api server.
+
+When rke2 is started with the `--datastore-endpoint` flag, it will disable the etcd pod and set the `cluster-init` flag to be `false`, to avoid the etcd part of k3s to be started.
+Kine will use the etcd client certificate to authenticate the connection to the kine server that will be a `unixs` socket type.
+
+### Pros
+
+- With the integration of kine, it is now possible to use the `--datastore-endpoint` flag among others related to kine. This allows for a more versatile configuration of the datastore,
+providing users with the flexibility to choose their preferred storage backend.
+
+### Cons
+
+- Kine can only be utilized with TLS due to the requirements of the API server.
+
+## Other changes needed in k3s to better support kine in rke2
+
+When testing rke2 with kine, there was some changes to avoid panics (specially when we are talking about `etcd`) and to make it work with tls. The changes are that when the user
+uses `--database-endpoint` and other flags related to `etcd only` nodes, we have to ignore this flags or simply end the process with a error message.
+
+We decided to set a error message and end the process, since it is not clear to the user that the flags are being ignored.
+
+### Pros of Ignoring the flags
+
+- It is possible to avoid panics and rke2 will run as expected.
+
+### Cons of Ignoring the flags
+
+- It will be not very clear to the user that the flags are being ignored.
+
+### Pros of Ending the process with a error message
+
+- Rke2 will run as expected with transparency to the user.
+
+### Cons of Ending the process with a error message
+
+- The user will have to change the flags to make rke2 run.
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 309aee7b6a..c361ace829 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ replace (
 	github.com/docker/docker => github.com/docker/docker v24.0.0-rc.2.0.20230801142700-69c9adb7d386+incompatible
 	github.com/docker/libnetwork => github.com/docker/libnetwork v0.8.0-dev.2.0.20190624125649-f0e46a78ea34
 	github.com/go-logr/logr => github.com/go-logr/logr v1.2.0
-	github.com/golang/protobuf => github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.3
+	github.com/golang/protobuf => github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4
 	github.com/googleapis/gax-go/v2 => github.com/googleapis/gax-go/v2 v2.1.1
 	github.com/juju/errors => github.com/k3s-io/nocode v0.0.0-20200630202308-cb097102c09f
 	github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cri-tools => github.com/k3s-io/cri-tools v1.26.0-rc.0-k3s1
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.19.0
 	github.com/iamacarpet/go-win64api v0.0.0-20210311141720-fe38760bed28
 	github.com/k3s-io/helm-controller v0.15.9
-	github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.12-0.20240313063150-06ecbe807148 //release-1.27
+	github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.13-0.20240402144016-9176d7f68aa2 //release-1.27
 	github.com/libp2p/go-netroute v0.2.1
 	github.com/natefinch/lumberjack v2.0.0+incompatible
 	github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.11.0
@@ -117,16 +117,16 @@ require (
 	github.com/tigera/operator v1.28.1
 	github.com/urfave/cli v1.22.14
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.6.0
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.16.0
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.18.0
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.60.1
 	k8s.io/api v0.28.2
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.28.2
-	k8s.io/apiserver v0.27.11
+	k8s.io/apiserver v0.27.12
 	k8s.io/client-go v11.0.1-0.20190409021438-1a26190bd76a+incompatible
-	k8s.io/component-base v0.27.11
+	k8s.io/component-base v0.27.12
 	k8s.io/cri-api v0.29.0-alpha.0
 	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.100.1
-	k8s.io/kubernetes v1.27.11
+	k8s.io/kubernetes v1.27.12
 	k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20230726121419-3b25d923346b
 	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0
 )
@@ -188,7 +188,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/coreos/go-iptables v0.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/coreos/go-oidc v2.1.0+incompatible // indirect
 	github.com/coreos/go-semver v0.3.0 // indirect
-	github.com/coreos/go-systemd v0.0.0-20191104093116-d3cd4ed1dbcf // indirect
 	github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22 v22.5.0 // indirect
 	github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.3 // indirect
 	github.com/cyphar/filepath-securejoin v0.2.4 // indirect
@@ -239,7 +238,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/golang-jwt/jwt/v4 v4.4.2 // indirect
 	github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20210331224755-41bb18bfe9da // indirect
 	github.com/golang/mock v1.6.0 // indirect
-	github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.3 // indirect
+	github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 // indirect
 	github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.4 // indirect
 	github.com/google/btree v1.1.2 // indirect
 	github.com/google/cadvisor v0.47.2 // indirect
@@ -280,7 +279,8 @@ require (
 	github.com/jackc/pgerrcode v0.0.0-20220416144525-469b46aa5efa // indirect
 	github.com/jackc/pgpassfile v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/jackc/pgservicefile v0.0.0-20221227161230-091c0ba34f0a // indirect
-	github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.4.2 // indirect
+	github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.5.4 // indirect
+	github.com/jackc/puddle/v2 v2.2.1 // indirect
 	github.com/jackpal/go-nat-pmp v1.0.2 // indirect
 	github.com/jbenet/go-temp-err-catcher v0.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.4 // indirect
@@ -289,9 +289,9 @@ require (
 	github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/josharian/native v1.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 // indirect
-	github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.4 // indirect
+	github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.7 // indirect
 	github.com/karrick/godirwalk v1.17.0 // indirect
-	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.2 // indirect
+	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.7 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.2.6 // indirect
 	github.com/koron/go-ssdp v0.0.4 // indirect
 	github.com/leodido/go-urn v1.2.4 // indirect
@@ -356,10 +356,10 @@ require (
 	github.com/mwitkow/go-http-dialer v0.0.0-20161116154839-378f744fb2b8 // indirect
 	github.com/mxk/go-flowrate v0.0.0-20140419014527-cca7078d478f // indirect
 	github.com/nats-io/jsm.go v0.0.31-0.20220317133147-fe318f464eee // indirect
-	github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.3 // indirect
-	github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.5 // indirect
-	github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.31.0 // indirect
-	github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.6 // indirect
+	github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.5 // indirect
+	github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.12 // indirect
+	github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.34.0 // indirect
+	github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.7 // indirect
 	github.com/nats-io/nuid v1.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/opencontainers/image-spec v1.1.0-rc5 // indirect
@@ -440,10 +440,10 @@ require (
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.26.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/arch v0.3.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/crypto v0.18.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.21.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20231006140011-7918f672742d // indirect
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.14.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/net v0.20.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/net v0.21.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.16.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/term v0.16.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/text v0.14.0 // indirect
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ require (
 	google.golang.org/api v0.152.0 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/appengine v1.6.8 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20231106174013-bbf56f31fb17 // indirect
-	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.32.0 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.33.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/gcfg.v1 v1.2.3 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.67.0 // indirect
@@ -466,9 +466,9 @@ require (
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
 	inet.af/tcpproxy v0.0.0-20200125044825-b6bb9b5b8252 // indirect
 	k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.25.4 // indirect
-	k8s.io/cloud-provider v0.27.11 // indirect
+	k8s.io/cloud-provider v0.27.12 // indirect
 	k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap v0.0.0 // indirect
-	k8s.io/component-helpers v0.27.11 // indirect
+	k8s.io/component-helpers v0.27.12 // indirect
 	k8s.io/controller-manager v0.25.4 // indirect
 	k8s.io/csi-translation-lib v0.0.0 // indirect
 	k8s.io/dynamic-resource-allocation v0.0.0 // indirect
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ require (
 	k8s.io/kubelet v0.0.0 // indirect
 	k8s.io/legacy-cloud-providers v0.0.0 // indirect
 	k8s.io/metrics v0.0.0 // indirect
-	k8s.io/mount-utils v0.27.11 // indirect
+	k8s.io/mount-utils v0.27.12 // indirect
 	k8s.io/pod-security-admission v0.0.0 // indirect
 	lukechampine.com/blake3 v1.2.1 // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/apiserver-network-proxy/konnectivity-client v0.1.2 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 3e3427bbcb..f045b8a5bc 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -379,8 +379,6 @@ github.com/coreos/go-semver v0.3.0 h1:wkHLiw0WNATZnSG7epLsujiMCgPAc9xhjJ4tgnAxmf
 github.com/coreos/go-semver v0.3.0/go.mod h1:nnelYz7RCh+5ahJtPPxZlU+153eP4D4r3EedlOD2RNk=
 github.com/coreos/go-systemd v0.0.0-20181012123002-c6f51f82210d/go.mod h1:F5haX7vjVVG0kc13fIWeqUViNPyEJxv/OmvnBo0Yme4=
 github.com/coreos/go-systemd v0.0.0-20190321100706-95778dfbb74e/go.mod h1:F5haX7vjVVG0kc13fIWeqUViNPyEJxv/OmvnBo0Yme4=
-github.com/coreos/go-systemd v0.0.0-20191104093116-d3cd4ed1dbcf h1:iW4rZ826su+pqaw19uhpSCzhj44qo35pNgKFGqzDKkU=
-github.com/coreos/go-systemd v0.0.0-20191104093116-d3cd4ed1dbcf/go.mod h1:F5haX7vjVVG0kc13fIWeqUViNPyEJxv/OmvnBo0Yme4=
 github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22 v22.1.0/go.mod h1:xO0FLkIi5MaZafQlIrOotqXZ90ih+1atmu1JpKERPPk=
 github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22 v22.3.2/go.mod h1:Y58oyj3AT4RCenI/lSvhwexgC+NSVTIJ3seZv2GcEnc=
 github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22 v22.4.0/go.mod h1:Y58oyj3AT4RCenI/lSvhwexgC+NSVTIJ3seZv2GcEnc=
@@ -671,8 +669,8 @@ github.com/golang/mock v1.4.4/go.mod h1:l3mdAwkq5BuhzHwde/uurv3sEJeZMXNpwsxVWU71
 github.com/golang/mock v1.5.0/go.mod h1:CWnOUgYIOo4TcNZ0wHX3YZCqsaM1I1Jvs6v3mP3KVu8=
 github.com/golang/mock v1.6.0 h1:ErTB+efbowRARo13NNdxyJji2egdxLGQhRaY+DUumQc=
 github.com/golang/mock v1.6.0/go.mod h1:p6yTPP+5HYm5mzsMV8JkE6ZKdX+/wYM6Hr+LicevLPs=
-github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.3 h1:KhyjKVUg7Usr/dYsdSqoFveMYd5ko72D+zANwlG1mmg=
-github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.3/go.mod h1:XVQd3VNwM+JqD3oG2Ue2ip4fOMUkwXdXDdiuN0vRsmY=
+github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 h1:i7eJL8qZTpSEXOPTxNKhASYpMn+8e5Q6AdndVa1dWek=
+github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4/go.mod h1:lnTiLA8Wa4RWRcIUkrtSVa5nRhsEGBg48fD6rSs7xps=
 github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.0-20180518054509-2e65f85255db/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
 github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.1/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
 github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.3/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
@@ -933,8 +931,10 @@ github.com/jackc/pgpassfile v1.0.0 h1:/6Hmqy13Ss2zCq62VdNG8tM1wchn8zjSGOBJ6icpsI
 github.com/jackc/pgpassfile v1.0.0/go.mod h1:CEx0iS5ambNFdcRtxPj5JhEz+xB6uRky5eyVu/W2HEg=
 github.com/jackc/pgservicefile v0.0.0-20221227161230-091c0ba34f0a h1:bbPeKD0xmW/Y25WS6cokEszi5g+S0QxI/d45PkRi7Nk=
 github.com/jackc/pgservicefile v0.0.0-20221227161230-091c0ba34f0a/go.mod h1:5TJZWKEWniPve33vlWYSoGYefn3gLQRzjfDlhSJ9ZKM=
-github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.4.2 h1:u1gmGDwbdRUZiwisBm/Ky2M14uQyUP65bG8+20nnyrg=
-github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.4.2/go.mod h1:q6iHT8uDNXWiFNOlRqJzBTaSH3+2xCXkokxHZC5qWFY=
+github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.5.4 h1:Xp2aQS8uXButQdnCMWNmvx6UysWQQC+u1EoizjguY+8=
+github.com/jackc/pgx/v5 v5.5.4/go.mod h1:ez9gk+OAat140fv9ErkZDYFWmXLfV+++K0uAOiwgm1A=
+github.com/jackc/puddle/v2 v2.2.1 h1:RhxXJtFG022u4ibrCSMSiu5aOq1i77R3OHKNJj77OAk=
+github.com/jackc/puddle/v2 v2.2.1/go.mod h1:vriiEXHvEE654aYKXXjOvZM39qJ0q+azkZFrfEOc3H4=
 github.com/jackpal/go-nat-pmp v1.0.2 h1:KzKSgb7qkJvOUTqYl9/Hg/me3pWgBmERKrTGD7BdWus=
 github.com/jackpal/go-nat-pmp v1.0.2/go.mod h1:QPH045xvCAeXUZOxsnwmrtiCoxIr9eob+4orBN1SBKc=
 github.com/jarcoal/httpmock v1.0.5/go.mod h1:ATjnClrvW/3tijVmpL/va5Z3aAyGvqU3gCT8nX0Txik=
@@ -1002,10 +1002,10 @@ github.com/k3s-io/etcd/server/v3 v3.5.9-k3s1 h1:B3039IkTPnwQEt4tIMjC6yd6b1Q3Z9ZZ
 github.com/k3s-io/etcd/server/v3 v3.5.9-k3s1/go.mod h1:GgI1fQClQCFIzuVjlvdbMxNbnISt90gdfYyqiAIt65g=
 github.com/k3s-io/helm-controller v0.15.9 h1:eBZq0KkZCDyWh4og+tyI43Nt9T5TNjc7QCFhAt1aR64=
 github.com/k3s-io/helm-controller v0.15.9/go.mod h1:AYitg40howLjKloL/zdjDDOPL1jg/K5R4af0tQcyPR8=
-github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.12-0.20240313063150-06ecbe807148 h1:3CBgHIzTDFbHZXrUE06O9Bwje/pshazlSEnkjmk0F6g=
-github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.12-0.20240313063150-06ecbe807148/go.mod h1:N27+ujeEVoz+aRXIliRvDqQDH6u0p22RCykBt1e76Y0=
-github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.4 h1:ZIXQT4vPPKNL9DwLF4dQ11tWtpJ1C/7OKNIpFmTkImo=
-github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.4/go.mod h1:NmwOWsWgB3aScq5+LEYytAaceqkG7lmCLLjjrWug8v4=
+github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.13-0.20240402144016-9176d7f68aa2 h1:pzJBe6Ci5XJ7aWRU1SUwmpybU5Hgu8TmPuCsJbhmnYE=
+github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.27.13-0.20240402144016-9176d7f68aa2/go.mod h1:h8Y2GYm4R0CoNfIrQZVvK75JtATKZ5hvZDUWgJ6CUOY=
+github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.7 h1:+I4TrxozQv4cdmD8RULI35r4o5G+A7gOD3F75lfjDP0=
+github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.7/go.mod h1:4C/zNVwl3FU1EubA2ju1Hq36JIjp8gAZaM+Hfnuvqt4=
 github.com/k3s-io/klog v1.0.0-k3s2/go.mod h1:4Bi6QPql/J/LkTDqv7R/cd3hPo4k2DG6Ptcz060Ez5I=
 github.com/k3s-io/klog/v2 v2.90.1-k3s1 h1:QOJ/1xi4ERgpPGmSI3n1f989XjII+OvPdgdiMOKqV9s=
 github.com/k3s-io/klog/v2 v2.90.1-k3s1/go.mod h1:y1WjHnz7Dj687irZUWR/WLkLc5N1YHtjLdmgWjndZn0=
@@ -1084,8 +1084,8 @@ github.com/klauspost/compress v1.14.4/go.mod h1:/3/Vjq9QcHkK5uEr5lBEmyoZ1iFhe47e
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.15.12/go.mod h1:QPwzmACJjUTFsnSHH934V6woptycfrDDJnH7hvFVbGM=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.16.0/go.mod h1:ntbaceVETuRiXiv4DpjP66DpAtAGkEQskQzEyD//IeE=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.16.7/go.mod h1:ntbaceVETuRiXiv4DpjP66DpAtAGkEQskQzEyD//IeE=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.2 h1:RlWWUY/Dr4fL8qk9YG7DTZ7PDgME2V4csBXA8L/ixi4=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.2/go.mod h1:ntbaceVETuRiXiv4DpjP66DpAtAGkEQskQzEyD//IeE=
+github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.7 h1:ehO88t2UGzQK66LMdE8tibEd1ErmzZjNEqWkjLAKQQg=
+github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.7/go.mod h1:Di0epgTjJY877eYKx5yC51cX2A2Vl2ibi7bDH9ttBbw=
 github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.0.1/go.mod h1:FInQzS24/EEf25PyTYn52gqo7WaD8xa0213Md/qVLRg=
 github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.0.4/go.mod h1:FInQzS24/EEf25PyTYn52gqo7WaD8xa0213Md/qVLRg=
 github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.0.9/go.mod h1:FInQzS24/EEf25PyTYn52gqo7WaD8xa0213Md/qVLRg=
@@ -1347,17 +1347,17 @@ github.com/natefinch/lumberjack v2.0.0+incompatible/go.mod h1:Wi9p2TTF5DG5oU+6Yf
 github.com/nats-io/jsm.go v0.0.31-0.20220317133147-fe318f464eee h1:+l6i7zS8N1LOokm7dzShezI9STRGrzp0O49Pw8Jetdk=
 github.com/nats-io/jsm.go v0.0.31-0.20220317133147-fe318f464eee/go.mod h1:EKSYvbvWAoh0hIfuZ+ieWm8u0VOTRTeDfuQvNPKRqEg=
 github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.2.1-0.20220113022732-58e87895b296/go.mod h1:0tqz9Hlu6bCBFLWAASKhE5vUA4c24L9KPUUgvwumE/k=
-github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.3 h1:/9SWvzc6hTfamcgXJ3uYRpgj+QuY2aLNqRiqrKcrpEo=
-github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.3/go.mod h1:iysuPemFcc7p4IoYots3IuELSI4EDe9Y0bQMe+I3Bf4=
+github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.5 h1:ROfXb50elFq5c9+1ztaUbdlrArNFl2+fQWP6B8HGEq4=
+github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.5.5/go.mod h1:ZdWS1nZa6WMZfFwwgpEaqBV8EPGVgOTDHN/wTbz0Y5A=
 github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.7.5-0.20220309212130-5c0d1999ff72/go.mod h1:1vZ2Nijh8tcyNe8BDVyTviCd9NYzRbubQYiEHsvOQWc=
-github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.5 h1:hhWt6m9ja/mNnm6ixc85jCthDaiUFPaeJI79K/MD980=
-github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.5/go.mod h1:xUMTU4kS//SDkJCSvFwN9SyJ9nUuLhSkzB/Qz0dvjjg=
+github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.12 h1:G6u+RDrHkw4bkwn7I911O5jqys7jJVRY6MwgndyUsnE=
+github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.10.12/go.mod h1:H1n6zXtYLFCgXcf/SF8QNTSIFuS8tyZQMN9NguUHdEs=
 github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.13.1-0.20220308171302-2f2f6968e98d/go.mod h1:BPko4oXsySz4aSWeFgOHLZs3G4Jq4ZAyE6/zMCxRT6w=
-github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.31.0 h1:/WFBHEc/dOKBF6qf1TZhrdEfTmOZ5JzdJ+Y3m6Y/p7E=
-github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.31.0/go.mod h1:di3Bm5MLsoB4Bx61CBTsxuarI36WbhAwOm8QrW39+i8=
+github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.34.0 h1:fnxnPCNiwIG5w08rlMcEKTUw4AV/nKyGCOJE8TdhSPk=
+github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.34.0/go.mod h1:Ubdu4Nh9exXdSz0RVWRFBbRfrbSxOYd26oF0wkWclB8=
 github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.3.0/go.mod h1:gvUNGjVcM2IPr5rCsRsC6Wb3Hr2CQAm08dsxtV6A5y4=
-github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.6 h1:IzVe95ru2CT6ta874rt9saQRkWfe2nFj1NtvYSLqMzY=
-github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.6/go.mod h1:4DxZNzenSVd1cYQoAa8948QY3QDjrHfcfVADymtkpts=
+github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.7 h1:RwNJbbIdYCoClSDNY7QVKZlyb/wfT6ugvFCiKy6vDvI=
+github.com/nats-io/nkeys v0.4.7/go.mod h1:kqXRgRDPlGy7nGaEDMuYzmiJCIAAWDK0IMBtDmGD0nc=
 github.com/nats-io/nuid v1.0.1 h1:5iA8DT8V7q8WK2EScv2padNa/rTESc1KdnPw4TC2paw=
 github.com/nats-io/nuid v1.0.1/go.mod h1:19wcPz3Ph3q0Jbyiqsd0kePYG7A95tJPxeL+1OSON2c=
 github.com/ncw/swift v1.0.47/go.mod h1:23YIA4yWVnGwv2dQlN4bB7egfYX6YLn0Yo/S6zZO/ZM=
@@ -2170,8 +2170,8 @@ google.golang.org/protobuf v1.29.0/go.mod h1:HV8QOd/L58Z+nl8r43ehVNZIU/HEI6OcFqw
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.29.1/go.mod h1:HV8QOd/L58Z+nl8r43ehVNZIU/HEI6OcFqwMG9pJV4I=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.30.0/go.mod h1:HV8QOd/L58Z+nl8r43ehVNZIU/HEI6OcFqwMG9pJV4I=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.31.0/go.mod h1:HV8QOd/L58Z+nl8r43ehVNZIU/HEI6OcFqwMG9pJV4I=
-google.golang.org/protobuf v1.32.0 h1:pPC6BG5ex8PDFnkbrGU3EixyhKcQ2aDuBS36lqK/C7I=
-google.golang.org/protobuf v1.32.0/go.mod h1:c6P6GXX6sHbq/GpV6MGZEdwhWPcYBgnhAHhKbcUYpos=
+google.golang.org/protobuf v1.33.0 h1:uNO2rsAINq/JlFpSdYEKIZ0uKD/R9cpdv0T+yoGwGmI=
+google.golang.org/protobuf v1.33.0/go.mod h1:c6P6GXX6sHbq/GpV6MGZEdwhWPcYBgnhAHhKbcUYpos=
 gopkg.in/asn1-ber.v1 v1.0.0-20181015200546-f715ec2f112d/go.mod h1:cuepJuh7vyXfUyUwEgHQXw849cJrilpS5NeIjOWESAw=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20180628173108-788fd7840127/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
diff --git a/pkg/cli/cmds/server.go b/pkg/cli/cmds/server.go
index 439a6dc855..cc1c4b58cc 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/cmds/server.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/cmds/server.go
@@ -73,10 +73,11 @@ var (
 		"kube-controller-manager-arg":       copyFlag,
 		"kube-cloud-controller-manager-arg": copyFlag,
 		"kube-cloud-controller-arg":         dropFlag, // deprecated version of kube-cloud-controller-manager-arg
-		"datastore-endpoint":                dropFlag,
-		"datastore-cafile":                  dropFlag,
-		"datastore-certfile":                dropFlag,
-		"datastore-keyfile":                 dropFlag,
+		"datastore-endpoint":                copyFlag,
+		"datastore-cafile":                  copyFlag,
+		"datastore-certfile":                copyFlag,
+		"datastore-keyfile":                 copyFlag,
+		"kine-tls":                          dropFlag,
 		"default-local-storage-path":        dropFlag,
 		"disable": {
 			Usage: "(components) Do not deploy packaged components and delete any deployed components (valid items: " + strings.Join(DisableItems, ", ") + ")",
diff --git a/pkg/podexecutor/staticpod.go b/pkg/podexecutor/staticpod.go
index 3ddc50dbfc..4c65cde532 100644
--- a/pkg/podexecutor/staticpod.go
+++ b/pkg/podexecutor/staticpod.go
@@ -109,19 +109,20 @@ type StaticPodConfig struct {
 	ControlPlaneProbeConfs
 	ControlPlaneEnv
 	ControlPlaneMounts
-	ManifestsDir    string
-	ImagesDir       string
-	Resolver        *images.Resolver
-	CloudProvider   *CloudProviderConfig
-	DataDir         string
-	AuditPolicyFile string
-	PSAConfigFile   string
-	KubeletPath     string
-	RuntimeEndpoint string
-	KubeProxyChan   chan struct{}
-	CISMode         bool
-	DisableETCD     bool
-	IsServer        bool
+	ManifestsDir     string
+	ImagesDir        string
+	Resolver         *images.Resolver
+	CloudProvider    *CloudProviderConfig
+	DataDir          string
+	AuditPolicyFile  string
+	PSAConfigFile    string
+	KubeletPath      string
+	RuntimeEndpoint  string
+	KubeProxyChan    chan struct{}
+	CISMode          bool
+	DisableETCD      bool
+	ExternalDatabase bool
+	IsServer         bool
 
 	stopKubelet context.CancelFunc
 }
@@ -264,6 +265,11 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) APIServer(_ context.Context, etcdReady <-chan struct{}
 		case "--advertise-port", "--basic-auth-file":
 			// This is an option k3s adds that does not exist upstream
 			args = append(args[:i], args[i+1:]...)
+		case "--etcd-servers":
+			if s.ExternalDatabase {
+				args = append(args[:i], args[i+1:]...)
+				args = append([]string{"--etcd-servers=" + "unixs://" + filepath.Join(s.DataDir, "server", "kine.sock")}, args...)
+			}
 		case "--audit-log-path":
 			auditLogFile = value
 		case "--kubelet-preferred-address-types":
@@ -309,47 +315,56 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) APIServer(_ context.Context, etcdReady <-chan struct{}
 	if !s.DisableETCD {
 		files = append(files, etcdNameFile(s.DataDir))
 	}
+
+	sockets := []string{}
+	if s.ExternalDatabase {
+		sockets = append(sockets, kineSock(s.DataDir))
+	}
+
 	dirs := onlyExisting(ssldirs)
 	if auditLogFile != "" && auditLogFile != "-" {
 		dirs = append(dirs, filepath.Dir(auditLogFile))
 		excludeFiles = append(excludeFiles, auditLogFile)
 	}
 
+	apiServerArgs := staticpod.Args{
+		Command:       "kube-apiserver",
+		Args:          args,
+		Image:         image,
+		Dirs:          dirs,
+		CISMode:       s.CISMode,
+		CPURequest:    s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPURequest,
+		CPULimit:      s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPULimit,
+		MemoryRequest: s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerMemoryRequest,
+		MemoryLimit:   s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerMemoryLimit,
+		ExtraEnv:      s.ControlPlaneEnv.KubeAPIServer,
+		ExtraMounts:   s.ControlPlaneMounts.KubeAPIServer,
+		ProbeConfs:    s.ControlPlaneProbeConfs.KubeAPIServer,
+		Sockets:       sockets,
+		Files:         files,
+		ExcludeFiles:  excludeFiles,
+		HealthExec: []string{
+			"kubectl",
+			"get",
+			"--server=https://localhost:6443/",
+			"--client-certificate=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.crt",
+			"--client-key=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.key",
+			"--certificate-authority=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/server-ca.crt",
+			"--raw=/livez",
+		},
+		ReadyExec: []string{
+			"kubectl",
+			"get",
+			"--server=https://localhost:6443/",
+			"--client-certificate=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.crt",
+			"--client-key=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.key",
+			"--certificate-authority=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/server-ca.crt",
+			"--raw=/readyz",
+		},
+	}
+
 	return after(etcdReady, func() error {
-		return staticpod.Run(s.ManifestsDir, staticpod.Args{
-			Command:       "kube-apiserver",
-			Args:          args,
-			Image:         image,
-			Dirs:          dirs,
-			CISMode:       s.CISMode,
-			CPURequest:    s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPURequest,
-			CPULimit:      s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPULimit,
-			MemoryRequest: s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerMemoryRequest,
-			MemoryLimit:   s.ControlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerMemoryLimit,
-			ExtraEnv:      s.ControlPlaneEnv.KubeAPIServer,
-			ExtraMounts:   s.ControlPlaneMounts.KubeAPIServer,
-			ProbeConfs:    s.ControlPlaneProbeConfs.KubeAPIServer,
-			Files:         files,
-			ExcludeFiles:  excludeFiles,
-			HealthExec: []string{
-				"kubectl",
-				"get",
-				"--server=https://localhost:6443/",
-				"--client-certificate=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.crt",
-				"--client-key=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.key",
-				"--certificate-authority=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/server-ca.crt",
-				"--raw=/livez",
-			},
-			ReadyExec: []string{
-				"kubectl",
-				"get",
-				"--server=https://localhost:6443/",
-				"--client-certificate=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.crt",
-				"--client-key=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/client-kube-apiserver.key",
-				"--certificate-authority=" + s.DataDir + "/server/tls/server-ca.crt",
-				"--raw=/readyz",
-			},
-		})
+		return staticpod.Run(s.ManifestsDir, apiServerArgs)
 	})
 }
 
@@ -368,6 +383,12 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) Scheduler(_ context.Context, apiReady <-chan struct{},
 	if !s.DisableETCD {
 		files = append(files, etcdNameFile(s.DataDir))
 	}
+
+	sockets := []string{}
+	if s.ExternalDatabase {
+		sockets = append(sockets, kineSock(s.DataDir))
+	}
+
 	args = append(permitPortSharingFlag, args...)
 	return after(apiReady, func() error {
 		return staticpod.Run(s.ManifestsDir, staticpod.Args{
@@ -385,6 +406,7 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) Scheduler(_ context.Context, apiReady <-chan struct{},
 			ExtraMounts:   s.ControlPlaneMounts.KubeScheduler,
 			ProbeConfs:    s.ControlPlaneProbeConfs.KubeScheduler,
 			Files:         files,
+			Sockets:       sockets,
 		})
 	})
 }
@@ -433,6 +455,12 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) ControllerManager(_ context.Context, apiReady <-chan s
 	if !s.DisableETCD {
 		files = append(files, etcdNameFile(s.DataDir))
 	}
+
+	sockets := []string{}
+	if s.ExternalDatabase {
+		sockets = append(sockets, kineSock(s.DataDir))
+	}
+
 	return after(apiReady, func() error {
 		extraArgs := []string{
 			"--flex-volume-plugin-dir=/var/lib/kubelet/volumeplugins",
@@ -455,6 +483,7 @@ func (s *StaticPodConfig) ControllerManager(_ context.Context, apiReady <-chan s
 			ExtraMounts:   s.ControlPlaneMounts.KubeControllerManager,
 			ProbeConfs:    s.ControlPlaneProbeConfs.KubeControllerManager,
 			Files:         files,
+			Sockets:       sockets,
 		})
 	})
 }
@@ -686,6 +715,10 @@ func chownr(path string, uid, gid int) error {
 	})
 }
 
+func kineSock(dataDir string) string {
+	return filepath.Join(dataDir, "server", "kine.sock")
+}
+
 func etcdNameFile(dataDir string) string {
 	return filepath.Join(dataDir, "server", "db", "etcd", "name")
 }
diff --git a/pkg/rke2/rke2.go b/pkg/rke2/rke2.go
index 35ac9e514d..08e8303b1b 100644
--- a/pkg/rke2/rke2.go
+++ b/pkg/rke2/rke2.go
@@ -154,17 +154,18 @@ func setup(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) error {
 	}
 
 	// check for missing db name file on a server running etcd, indicating we're rejoining after cluster reset on a different node
-	if _, err := os.Stat(etcdNameFile(dataDir)); err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) && isServer && !clx.Bool("disable-etcd") {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(etcdNameFile(dataDir)); err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) && isServer && !clx.Bool("disable-etcd") && !clx.IsSet("datastore-endpoint") {
 		clusterReset = true
 	}
 
 	disabledItems := map[string]bool{
 		"cloud-controller-manager": !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-cloud-controller"),
-		"etcd":                     !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-etcd"),
+		"etcd":                     !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-etcd") || clx.IsSet("datastore-endpoint"),
 		"kube-apiserver":           !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-apiserver"),
 		"kube-controller-manager":  !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-controller-manager"),
 		"kube-scheduler":           !isServer || forceRestart || clx.Bool("disable-scheduler"),
 	}
+
 	// adding force restart file when cluster reset restore path is passed
 	if clusterResetRestorePath != "" {
 		forceRestartFile := ForceRestartFile(dataDir)
@@ -175,6 +176,7 @@ func setup(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) error {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+
 	return removeDisabledPods(dataDir, containerRuntimeEndpoint, disabledItems, clusterReset)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go b/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
index 1b7b59c41c..f8da3b7da4 100644
--- a/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
@@ -57,11 +57,20 @@ func initExecutor(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) (*podexecutor.Sta
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// Verify if the user want to use kine as the datastore
+	// and then remove the etcd from the static pod
+	ExternalDatabase := false
+	if cmds.ServerConfig.DatastoreEndpoint != "" {
+		cmds.ServerConfig.ClusterInit = false
+		cmds.ServerConfig.KineTLS = true
+		ExternalDatabase = true
+	} else {
+		managed.RegisterDriver(&etcd.ETCD{})
+	}
+
 	agentManifestsDir := filepath.Join(dataDir, "agent", config.DefaultPodManifestPath)
 	agentImagesDir := filepath.Join(dataDir, "agent", "images")
 
-	managed.RegisterDriver(&etcd.ETCD{})
-
 	if clx.IsSet("cloud-provider-config") || clx.IsSet("cloud-provider-name") {
 		if clx.IsSet("node-external-ip") {
 			return nil, errors.New("can't set node-external-ip while using cloud provider")
@@ -115,6 +124,7 @@ func initExecutor(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) (*podexecutor.Sta
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
 	// Adding PSAs
 	podSecurityConfigFile := clx.String("pod-security-admission-config-file")
 	if podSecurityConfigFile == "" {
@@ -142,6 +152,7 @@ func initExecutor(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) (*podexecutor.Sta
 		RuntimeEndpoint:        containerRuntimeEndpoint,
 		KubeProxyChan:          make(chan struct{}),
 		DisableETCD:            clx.Bool("disable-etcd"),
+		ExternalDatabase:       ExternalDatabase,
 		IsServer:               isServer,
 		ControlPlaneResources:  *controlPlaneResources,
 		ControlPlaneProbeConfs: *controlPlaneProbeConfs,
@@ -155,7 +166,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneResources(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneResources,
 	// resources is a map of the component (kube-apiserver, kube-controller-manager, etc.) to a map[string]*string,
 	// where the key of the downstream map is the `cpu-request`, `cpu-limit`, `memory-request`, or `memory-limit` and
 	// the value corresponds to a pointer to the component resources array
-	var resources = map[string]map[string]*string{
+	resources := map[string]map[string]*string{
 		KubeAPIServer: {
 			CPURequest:    &controlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPURequest,
 			CPULimit:      &controlPlaneResources.KubeAPIServerCPULimit,
@@ -195,7 +206,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneResources(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneResources,
 	}
 
 	// defaultResources contains a map of default resources for each component, used if not explicitly configured.
-	var defaultResources = map[string]map[string]string{
+	defaultResources := map[string]map[string]string{
 		KubeAPIServer: {
 			CPURequest:    "250m",
 			MemoryRequest: "1024Mi",
@@ -222,7 +233,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneResources(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneResources,
 		},
 	}
 
-	var parsedRequestsLimits = make(map[string]string)
+	parsedRequestsLimits := make(map[string]string)
 
 	for _, requests := range cfg.ControlPlaneResourceRequests {
 		for _, rawRequest := range strings.Split(requests, ",") {
@@ -262,7 +273,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneProbeConfs(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneProbeConf
 	var controlPlaneProbes podexecutor.ControlPlaneProbeConfs
 	// probes is a map of the component (kube-apiserver, kube-controller-manager, etc.) probe type, and setting, where
 	// the value corresponds to a pointer to the component probes array.
-	var probes = map[string]map[string]map[string]*int32{
+	probes := map[string]map[string]map[string]*int32{
 		KubeAPIServer: {
 			Liveness: {
 				InitialDelaySeconds: &controlPlaneProbes.KubeAPIServer.Liveness.InitialDelaySeconds,
@@ -386,7 +397,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneProbeConfs(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneProbeConf
 	}
 
 	// defaultProbeConf contains a map of default probe settings for each type, used if not explicitly configured.
-	var defaultProbeConf = map[string]map[string]int32{
+	defaultProbeConf := map[string]map[string]int32{
 		// https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/v1.24.0/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/staticpod/utils.go#L246
 		Liveness: {
 			InitialDelaySeconds: 10,
@@ -410,7 +421,7 @@ func parseControlPlaneProbeConfs(cfg Config) (*podexecutor.ControlPlaneProbeConf
 		},
 	}
 
-	var parsedProbeConf = make(map[string]int32)
+	parsedProbeConf := make(map[string]int32)
 
 	for _, conf := range cfg.ControlPlaneProbeConf {
 		for _, rawConf := range strings.Split(conf, ",") {
diff --git a/pkg/staticpod/staticpod.go b/pkg/staticpod/staticpod.go
index e016a72b08..a41a696b95 100644
--- a/pkg/staticpod/staticpod.go
+++ b/pkg/staticpod/staticpod.go
@@ -28,8 +28,13 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 )
 
+type typeVolume string
+
 const (
-	extraMountPrefix = "extra-mount"
+	extraMountPrefix            = "extra-mount"
+	socket           typeVolume = "socket"
+	dir              typeVolume = "dir"
+	file             typeVolume = "file"
 )
 
 type ProbeConf struct {
@@ -51,6 +56,7 @@ type Args struct {
 	Image           name.Reference
 	Dirs            []string
 	Files           []string
+	Sockets         []string
 	CISMode         bool // CIS requires that the manifest be saved with 600 permissions
 	ExcludeFiles    []string
 	HealthExec      []string
@@ -278,8 +284,9 @@ func pod(args Args) (*v1.Pod, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	addVolumes(p, args.Dirs, true)
-	addVolumes(p, args.Files, false)
+	addVolumes(p, args.Sockets, socket)
+	addVolumes(p, args.Dirs, dir)
+	addVolumes(p, args.Files, file)
 
 	addExtraMounts(p, args.ExtraMounts)
 	addExtraEnv(p, args.ExtraEnv)
@@ -287,14 +294,22 @@ func pod(args Args) (*v1.Pod, error) {
 	return p, nil
 }
 
-func addVolumes(p *v1.Pod, src []string, dir bool) {
+func addVolumes(p *v1.Pod, src []string, volume typeVolume) {
 	var (
-		prefix     = "dir"
-		sourceType = v1.HostPathDirectoryOrCreate
-		readOnly   = false
+		prefix     string
+		sourceType v1.HostPathType
+		readOnly   bool
 	)
-	if !dir {
-		prefix = "file"
+
+	prefix = string(volume)
+	switch volume {
+	case dir:
+		sourceType = v1.HostPathDirectoryOrCreate
+		readOnly = false
+	case socket:
+		sourceType = v1.HostPathSocket
+		readOnly = false
+	default:
 		sourceType = v1.HostPathFile
 		readOnly = true
 	}