How to Properly Uninstall Rancher on Linux

Follow these steps in the specified order to uninstall Rancher.

1. Pull the Uninstall Script

Run the following command to download and execute the uninstall script:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rancher/system-agent/main/system-agent-uninstall.sh | sudo sh

2. Uninstall Rancher

Run the following command to uninstall Rancher:

sudo rke2-uninstall.sh

3. Remove Files

Remove the specified directories and files with the following command:

sudo rm -rf /etc/ceph \
    /etc/cni \
    /etc/kubernetes \
    /etc/rancher \
    /opt/cni \
    /opt/rke \
    /run/secret/kubernetes.io \
    /run/calico \
    /run/flannel \
    /var/lib/calico \
    /var/lib/etcd \
    /var/lib/cni \
    /var/lib/kubelet \
    /var/lib/rancher \
    /var/log/containers \
    /var/log/kube-audit \
    /var/log/pods \
    /var/run/calico

Note that reciving the error :sudo: rke2-uninstall.sh: command not found is normal after running the command means your rancher is already uninstalled and you are free to rejoin the cluster.

This guide should help you properly uninstall Rancher from your Linux system.