| name | gke-storage |
| description | Guidance on managing storage in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) clusters. |
GKE Storage Best Practices
This skill provides guidance on managing storage in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) clusters.
Overview
GKE supports various storage options, from Persistent Disks to Cloud Storage. Choosing the right storage type and configuring it correctly is essential for performance and reliability.
Workflows
1. Configure Storage Classes
StorageClasses allow you to describe the "classes" of storage you offer. Different classes might map to quality-of-service levels, or to backup policies.
Example StorageClass Manifest:
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
name: premium-rwo
provisioner: pd.csi.storage.gke.io
parameters:
type: pd-ssd
replication-type: regional-pd
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
allowVolumeExpansion: true
Setting allowVolumeExpansion: true is highly recommended for production.
2. Use CSI Drivers
GKE includes container storage interface (CSI) drivers for dynamic provisioning of storage.
- Compute Engine Persistent Disk CSI Driver: Default for block storage.
- Google Cloud Filestore CSI Driver: For managed NFS (ReadWriteMany).
- Cloud Storage FUSE CSI Driver: For mounting GCS buckets as volumes.
Example using Filestore CSI Driver:
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: filestore-pvc
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteMany
storageClassName: standard-rwm
resources:
requests:
storage: 1Ti
3. Implement Volume Expansion
If allowVolumeExpansion is true in the StorageClass, you can resize a volume by updating the PVC manifest.
Steps:
- Edit the PVC manifest and increase the storage request.
- Apply the changes.
Kubernetes will automatically resize the file system on the volume.
Best Practices
- Use CSI Drivers: Always use the official Google Cloud CSI drivers for best integration and performance.
- Enable Volume Expansion: Always set
allowVolumeExpansion: true in your StorageClasses to allow for growth.
- Choose the Right Disk Type: Use
pd-ssd or pd-extreme for I/O intensive workloads, and pd-standard or pd-balanced for others.
- Use ReadWriteMany Carefully: Filestore (NFS) is great for sharing data among multiple Pods, but be aware of file locking and consistency semantics.