The Kubernetes-native mechanism to run setup steps before the main application containers start is an init container, so A is correct. Init containers run sequentially and must complete successfully before the regular containers in the Pod are started. This makes them ideal for preparing configuration, downloading artifacts, performing migrations, generating files, or waiting for dependencies.
The question specifically asks how to “load and generate data required before Pod startup.” The most common pattern is: an init container writes files into a shared volume (like an emptyDir volume) mounted by both the init container and the app container. When the init container finishes, the app container starts and reads the generated files. This is deterministic and aligns with Kubernetes Pod lifecycle semantics.
A sidecar container (option C) runs concurrently with the main container, so it is not guaranteed to complete work before startup. Sidecars are great for ongoing concerns (log shipping, proxies, config reloaders), but they are not the primary “before startup” mechanism. A PVC volume (option B) is just storage; it doesn’t itself perform generation or ensure ordering. “Another Pod with a PVC” (option D) introduces coordination complexity and still does not guarantee the data is prepared before this Pod starts unless you build additional synchronization.
Init containers are explicitly designed for this kind of pre-flight work, and Kubernetes guarantees ordering: all init containers complete in order, then the app containers begin. That guarantee is why A is the best and verified answer.
