Azure Storage Account Types

Azure Storage Account Types Overview

Azure Storage offers a variety of storage account types, each optimized for different scenarios and workloads. Choosing the right storage account type is crucial for cost-effectiveness, performance, and scalability.

• General-purpose v2 (GPv2)

  GPv2 storage accounts are the recommended general-purpose storage accounts for most scenarios. They provide access to the latest features and capabilities, as well as the lowest per-gigabyte pricing for many scenarios.

  Key Features:

  • Supports all Azure Storage data objects: Blobs, Files, Queues, and Tables.
  • Differentiates blob access tiers: Hot, Cool, and Archive.
  • Supports hierarchical namespaces for Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.
  • Offers predictable performance and scalability.
• Block Blob Storage

  Block Blob Storage accounts are optimized for storing very large amounts of unstructured data like text or binary data. This includes data for big data analytics, image and video streaming, and large datasets for processing.

  Key Features:

  • Optimized for high transaction rates and low latency for blob access.
  • Offers block blobs, append blobs, and page blobs.
  • Dedicated capacity and performance for blob operations.
  • Cost-effective for high-throughput workloads.
• File Storage

  File Storage accounts are optimized for Azure Files. They provide fully managed file shares in the cloud that are accessible via the industry-standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol and Network File System (NFS) protocol.

  Key Features:

  • Provides fully managed file shares.
  • Supports SMB and NFS protocols for cross-platform access.
  • Ideal for lift-and-shift scenarios and on-premises file server migration.
  • Offers premium SSD-backed storage for high-performance needs.
• General-purpose v1 (GPv1)

  GPv1 storage accounts are legacy accounts. While they still support Blobs, Files, Queues, and Tables, they do not offer the full range of features and performance optimizations of GPv2 accounts.

  Key Features:

  • Supports Blobs, Files, Queues, and Tables.
  • Does not support Blob access tiers.
  • Recommended to migrate to GPv2 for new deployments and existing accounts.
• Blob Storage

  Blob Storage accounts are legacy accounts optimized for storing blob data. They offer hot and cool access tiers for blob data.

  Key Features:

  • Optimized for blob storage.
  • Supports hot and cool access tiers.
  • Recommended to migrate to GPv2 for access to newer features.

Choosing the Right Storage Account

The primary factors to consider when choosing a storage account type include:

• Workload Type: Are you storing large unstructured data (blobs), providing file shares (files), or using queues/tables?
• Performance Requirements: Do you need high throughput, low latency, or a balance of both?
• Cost Optimization: Consider the access frequency and desired cost for storing your data.
• Features: Do you need access to the latest Azure Storage features like hierarchical namespaces or specific blob access tiers?

For most new deployments, General-purpose v2 (GPv2) is the recommended choice due to its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and access to the latest features.

az storage account create \
    --name mystorageaccountgpv2 \
    --resource-group myresourcegroup \
    --location eastus \
    --sku Standard_LRS \
    --kind StorageV2
                

Refer to the official Azure Storage documentation for the most up-to-date information and detailed comparisons.