Google Associate Cloud EngineerDeploying and implementing a cloud solutionMedium
A development team needs to deploy a containerized microservice that requires a persistent file system for storing user-uploaded content. The microservice will run on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Which storage solution would you recommend to meet this requirement?
- AFilestore instance
- BPersistent Disk attached to each Pod
- CCloud Storage bucket
- DCloud SQL database
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Filestore instance
Filestore provides a fully managed NFS file server that can be easily integrated with GKE as a PersistentVolume, offering shared, persistent storage suitable for user-uploaded content.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Persistent Disks are block storage and typically attached to a single VM or GKE node, not easily shared across multiple pods or nodes without complex solutions like ReadWriteMany volume modes (which have limitations), and are not a managed file system service.
- C. Cloud Storage is object storage and does not provide a traditional file system interface required for this use case.
- D. Cloud SQL is a relational database service, not a file system for storing user-uploaded content.
Google Cloud Filestore
A fully managed Network Attached Storage (NAS) service for applications that require a file system interface and a shared file system for data.
- Offers NFSv3 and NFSv4.1 protocol support.
- Can be integrated with GKE as PersistentVolumes.
- Provides high performance and low latency for file-based workloads.
Memory trick: Filestore is the 'file store' for GKE's persistent needs.