Persistent volume
A persistent volume is durable storage provisioned independently of an individual workload’s lifecycle, allowing data to survive workload replacement or restart.
Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition
A PersistentVolume is a Kubernetes API resource representing storage provisioned for use by workloads independently of a pod's lifetime.
- How it is used
- Provides application storage that can persist independently of the pods using it.
- How deep it goes
- Works through claims, provisioning, access modes, reclamation, and resizing, but defers lower-level CSI driver specifications.
- Examples
- Uses MongoDB pod manifests, kubectl status checks, and a statically provisioned node-local disk.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by claiming, mounting, inspecting, expanding, and releasing storage while accounting for access and reclaim policies.
Read how Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition explains persistent volume →
Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second Edition
A persistent volume is a Kubernetes API object representing storage provisioned for durable workload data.
- How it is used
- Keeps application data beyond a pod’s lifetime and supplies storage that a workload can mount through a claim.
- How deep it goes
- Works through PV creation, claim binding, mounting, and status checks, with configuration guidance for modes, access, and reclaim policies.
- Examples
- Uses a 100Mi hostPath PV, a 90Mi claim, a Deployment mount, and `kubectl` output showing the bound resources.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch: create a PV and PVC, mount the claim in a workload, and verify binding and the mount with `kubectl`.
Kubernetes for Developers
A persistent volume is a Kubernetes storage resource that provides data storage intended to survive container or Pod replacement.
- How it is used
- Attaches storage to stateful Pods without putting provider-specific disk details in their storage requests.
- How deep it goes
- Explains PV–PVC binding, access modes, and reclaim-policy consequences through manifests and recovery steps; does not detail storage-driver internals.
- Examples
- Uses a MariaDB claim mounted at /var/lib/mysql and a Redis StatefulSet whose retained disk is relinked after deletion.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by requesting storage through a claim, checking PV binding, and setting retention before deleting claims.
Read how Kubernetes for Developers explains persistent volume →
Google Anthos in Action
A persistent volume is a Kubernetes resource representing storage provisioned for use by workloads independently of a pod's lifecycle.
- How it is used
- Represents durable workload storage when VM storage is refactored into Kubernetes deployment artifacts.
- How deep it goes
- Explains generated volume and claim responsibilities and the migration mount path, but does not detail Kubernetes storage provisioning.
- Examples
- Uses ImageAndData and Data deployment intents, plus an NFS share requiring manual YAML changes.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by reviewing M4A-generated storage resources and adding persistent-volume directives for NFS mounts.
Read how Google Anthos in Action explains persistent volume →
Distributed Machine Learning Patterns
A PersistentVolume is a Kubernetes storage resource representing durable storage that can be provisioned and mounted independently of an individual workload.
- How it is used
- Preserves datasets, checkpoints, and trained models across Kubernetes Pod and workflow-step lifecycles.
- How deep it goes
- Defines PV and PVC roles, access modes, mounts, and workflow handoffs without detailing storage-backend internals.
- Examples
- Uses a 1 GiB ReadWriteOnce claim mounted by two distributed-training workers and reused across ingestion, training, and serving steps.
- What you can do after
- Operate Kubernetes training workflows that retain datasets, checkpoints, and exported models after worker Pods terminate.
Read how Distributed Machine Learning Patterns explains persistent volume →
Road to Kubernetes
A persistent volume is a Kubernetes storage resource that provides durable storage independently of an individual container's lifecycle.
- How it is used
- Provides durable storage for Kubernetes workloads whose data must outlive individual containers.
- How deep it goes
- Explains PVC configuration, provider limitations, retention classes, Deployment attachment, mounting, application, and verification.
- Examples
- Uses a 10Gi nginx Deployment with ReadWriteOnce storage mounted at /usr/share/nginx/html.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure persistent storage by defining a PVC, attaching it to a Deployment, mounting it, and verifying provisioning.
Data Pipelines with Apache Airflow, Second Edition
A PersistentVolume is Kubernetes storage provisioned for use by workloads independently of a pod's lifecycle.
- How it is used
- Mounts shared DAG storage into Airflow deployments when multiple teams need to supply DAGs without rebuilding images.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the storage abstraction and demonstrates YAML, kubectl, and Helm configuration, but defers volume-specific CI/CD implementation.
- Examples
- Uses a hostPath-backed ReadWriteMany volume, a 250Mi claim, kubectl apply, and an Airflow Helm deployment.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure Airflow DAG storage through Kubernetes manifests and Helm values using an existing PersistentVolumeClaim.
Read how Data Pipelines with Apache Airflow, Second Edition explains persistent volume →
Related concepts
- persistent volume claimused by · A PersistentVolumeClaim is a Kubernetes resource through which a workload requests persistent storage with specified capacity, access modes, and other storage characteristics.
- poduses · A Kubernetes Pod is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes, grouping one or more co-located containers that share networking and other resources.
- StorageClassconfigured by · A StorageClass is a Kubernetes API resource that defines a category of storage and the provisioner and parameters for dynamically creating volumes.
- emptydir volumecontrasts with · An emptyDir volume is a Kubernetes volume that starts empty, is available to containers in a Pod, and is deleted when the Pod leaves its node.
- static provisioningproduced by · Static provisioning is the administrator-managed creation of persistent storage resources before workloads request or claim them.
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