What is the difference between static and dynamic PV provisioning?
Quick Answer
Static: an admin pre-creates PVs manually, and PVCs bind to them. Dynamic: a StorageClass provisions a PV on demand when a PVC is created, so no pre-provisioning is needed. Dynamic is the norm in cloud clusters.
Detailed Answer
With static provisioning you create PV objects up front (fixed pool); PVCs bind to whichever matches size/access mode. With dynamic provisioning a StorageClass (backed by a CSI driver) creates the underlying disk and PV automatically the moment a PVC requests it — set via storageClassName. Dynamic reduces ops toil and is standard on EKS/AKS/GKE; static suits pre-existing NFS/hardware.
Interview Tip
Say dynamic (StorageClass + CSI) is the cloud default and static suits pre-existing storage — showing you know both.