The article provides a comprehensive guide on deploying a Kubernetes cluster using the CRI-O container runtime on an Ubuntu 22.04 LTS server. CRI-O, designed specifically for Kubernetes, offers a lightweight and optimized runtime for running containers within a Kubernetes environment. The guide begins with necessary prerequisites, including configuring kernel modules, sysctl settings, and disabling swap to ensure system compatibility. It covers setting up a firewall, installing CRI-O, and deploying Kubernetes components like kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl. The tutorial walks through initializing the Kubernetes cluster on a control plane, deploying the Calico network plugin for networking capabilities, and joining worker nodes to the cluster. It also includes creating and testing a basic Nginx deployment and verifying node communication by deploying a busybox pod. The article highlights CRI-O's security feature, which runs containers without the NET_RAW capability, and provides instructions on enabling it for network connectivity testing. The conclusion emphasizes CRI-O's performance and security benefits and suggests exploring Earthly for streamlined build processes.