---
title: Container Runtime Interface
id: container-runtime-interface
date: 2021-11-24
full_link: /docs/concepts/architecture/cri
short_description: >
  The main protocol for the communication between the kubelet and Container Runtime.

aka:
tags:
  - cri
---

The main protocol for the communication between the kubelet and Container Runtime.

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The Kubernetes Container Runtime Interface (CRI) defines the main
[gRPC](https://grpc.io) protocol for the communication between the
[cluster components](/docs/concepts/overview/components/#node-components)
{{< glossary_tooltip text="kubelet" term_id="kubelet" >}} and
{{< glossary_tooltip text="container runtime" term_id="container-runtime" >}}.