Role: Storage & Persistence
Responsibility
The Storage role manages the state of the platform. It provides persistent volumes to applications and ensures that data is replicated and backed up according to its criticality.
Key Guarantees
- Data Durability: Protection against single-node or single-disk failure.
- RPO/RTO Compliance: Backups must be performed and verified according to policy.
- Abstraction: Applications should request storage via standard interfaces (e.g., PVCs) without knowing the underlying disk layout.
Related Models & Policies
Implementation Options
| Option | Best Fit | Good At | Costs / Risks | Integration Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longhorn | K3s, K8s | Easy replicated block storage. | Performance/latency tradeoffs. | Tie into snapshot/backup story (Velero). |
| Rook-Ceph | K8s, Talos | Powerful HA, block/file/object storage. | Complexity; resource hungry; learning curve. | Needs disciplined node disks and upgrade choreography. |
| ZFS | Nomad, K8s | Solid local storage, snapshots, replication. | Not a distributed fabric; HA is “replication + restore”. | Orchestration integration varies; great for “pet data”. |
| NFS / SMB | Any | Simple shared storage. | Central dependency; HA depends on NAS. | Backups are straightforward; locking semantics vary. |
Typical Stack Pairings
- K3s: Longhorn
- Talos/K8s: Rook-Ceph (for strong HA) or NFS (for simplicity)
- Nomad: ZFS (host-based) + replication or NFS