Introduction
The Container Object Storage Interface (COSI) is a Kubernetes-native framework designed to provide a standardized and declarative approach for managing object storage services, such as AWS S3, MinIO, and Ceph RGW, within Kubernetes clusters. COSI extends Kubernetes' storage model to support object storage resources in a way that is portable, scalable, and consistent with the principles of Kubernetes.
COSI enables administrators to define, provision, and consume object storage buckets through familiar Kubernetes-style APIs. It simplifies integration between applications and backend object storage systems, automating the lifecycle of buckets and their access credentials. With COSI, Kubernetes users can request object storage resources dynamically, reducing manual configuration overhead and improving operational efficiency.
By adopting COSI, enterprises can:
- Standardize object storage provisioning across multiple cloud and on-premises environments.
- Dynamically create and manage buckets through declarative resource definitions.
- Seamlessly distribute access credentials to workloads via Kubernetes Secrets.
- Align object storage management with Kubernetes persistent storage patterns for a unified experience.
TOC
Limitations
- COSI is currently in alpha.
- At present, COSI only supports Ceph RGW and MinIO drivers.
- Integration with legacy object storage buckets might require additional manual configurations.