Cloud Native Storage
Cloud native storage provides persistent data services for containerized workloads running on orchestrators like Kubernetes. It covers volume provisioning, storage classes, CSI drivers, and distributed storage systems designed for dynamic, container-based environments.
itCloud native tools and technologies | OpenSkills.info
Intro
Cloud Native Storage
Cloud native applications move, restart, and scale across a pool of machines. Their data cannot follow that pattern by accident. Cloud native storage connects persistent data to dynamic workloads through declarative requests, automated lifecycle operations, and standard interfaces.
The central idea is separation. An application states the storage behavior it needs. A platform maps that request to a storage service. A driver performs infrastructure operations. The storage system still determines durability, latency, consistency, and failure behavior.
Two ways applications reach data
CNCF guidance separates storage into two broad access patterns.
Presented storage appears inside a workload as a mounted file system or block device. Kubernetes volumes and PersistentVolumeClaims use this pattern. It suits software that expects files, directories, or a device.
Accessed storage is reached through an application API. Object stores, key-value stores, and databases fit this pattern. The application owns the client logic, credentials, retries, and service-specific behavior.
Continue the course
This section is part of the paid course.
See pricing to subscribe, or log in if you already have access.
Where this skill leads
Relevant careers
See how this topic contributes to broader role-level skill maps.
Sources
- https://glossary.cncf.io/cloud-native-storage/
Supports
- Definition of cloud native storage for containerized and stateful applications
- Cloud native storage as a response to scaling, management, and integration needs
- https://tag-security.cncf.io/community/resources/security-whitepaper/v2/cloud-native-security-whitepaper/
Supports
- Presented storage as volumes, block stores, file systems, and shared file systems
- Accessed storage as object stores, key-value stores, and databases reached through application APIs
- Storage-interface protection through access control, authentication, authorization, and encryption
- Persistent-volume access and namespace trust-boundary considerations
- https://github.com/container-storage-interface/spec/blob/master/spec.md
Supports
- CSI objective and terminology
- Dynamic provisioning, attachment, mounting, expansion, and snapshot operations
- Controller and node plugin architecture and services
- Capability discovery and retry behavior
- CSI non-goals including storage classes, plugin packaging, protocol authorization, and POSIX guarantees
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/
Supports
- Kubernetes storage feature map for long-term and temporary Pod storage
- Official progression into volumes, persistent volumes, classes, snapshots, capacity, and health
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/volumes/
Supports
- Volumes as storage exposed to containers in a Pod
- Persistent and ephemeral volume lifetimes
- File sharing between containers and persistence across container restarts
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/
Supports
- PersistentVolume and PersistentVolumeClaim roles and scopes
- Static and dynamic provisioning, binding, use, release, and reclamation
- Access modes and their node or Pod semantics
- Delete and Retain reclaim policies
- Volume expansion behavior
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/storage-classes/
Supports
- StorageClass provisioner, parameters, reclaim policy, mount options, binding mode, and expansion fields
- Default StorageClass behavior
- Immediate and WaitForFirstConsumer binding
- Topology-aware provisioning and scheduling implications
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/dynamic-provisioning/
Supports
- On-demand storage creation through StorageClasses
- Dynamic provisioning in response to PersistentVolumeClaims
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/storage-capacity/
Supports
- Scheduler use of topology-specific CSI storage capacity information
- Capacity-aware placement for late-bound volumes
- https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/volume-snapshots/
Supports
- VolumeSnapshot, VolumeSnapshotContent, and VolumeSnapshotClass roles
- CSI-based snapshot provisioning
- New PersistentVolumeClaims created from snapshots
- Snapshot readiness and deletion-policy behavior
- https://kubernetes-csi.github.io/docs/introduction.html
Supports
- Kubernetes implementation of CSI and its storage-feature documentation
- Progression from CSI architecture into drivers, sidecars, deployment, and features