How to manage Azure Files

This guide provides detailed instructions on how to manage Azure Files, a fully managed cloud file share service that is accessible via the industry-standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol and Network File System (NFS) protocol.

Prerequisites

  • An Azure subscription. If you don't have one, create a free account before you begin.
  • A storage account. For instructions on creating a storage account, see Create a storage account.

Creating an Azure File Share

You can create an Azure file share using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell.

Using the Azure Portal

  1. Navigate to your storage account in the Azure portal.
  2. In the left-hand menu, under "Data storage", select "File shares".
  3. Click "+ File share" to open the Create file share pane.
  4. Enter a name for your file share (e.g., myshare). Share names must be lowercase.
  5. Select a tier (Transaction optimized, Hot, or Cool).
  6. Specify the quota for the share.
  7. Click "Create".

Using Azure CLI

az storage share create --name <share-name> --account-name <storage-account-name> --account-key <storage-account-key> --quota <quota-in-gb> --tier <transaction-optimized|hot|cool>

Mounting an Azure File Share

Mounting a file share allows you to access it from your on-premises machines or Azure VMs.

Mounting with SMB (Windows, Linux, macOS)

To mount an Azure file share using SMB, you'll typically use the storage account name and access key, or a managed identity.

Note: For production scenarios, it is highly recommended to use Azure AD DS or Azure AD Kerberos authentication instead of account keys.

Windows
net use <drive-letter>: \\<storage-account-name>.file.core.windows.net\%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%2024%2024%22%3E%3Cpath%20d=%22M11.99%202C6.47%202%202%206.48%202%2012s4.47%2010%209.99%2010C17.52%2022%2022%2017.52%2022%2012S17.52%202%2011.99%202zM12%2020c-4.42%200-8-3.58-8-8s3.58-8%208-8%208%203.58%208%208-3.58%208-8%208zm-1-13h2v6h-2zm0%208h2v2h-2z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E  <storage-account-name>-<share-name> /user:<storage-account-name><storage-account-name> <storage-account-key>
Linux
sudo mount -t cifs //<storage-account-name>.file.core.windows.net/%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%2024%2024%22%3E%3Cpath%20d=%22M11.99%202C6.47%202%202%206.48%202%2012s4.47%2010%209.99%2010C17.52%2022%2022%2017.52%2022%2012S17.52%202%2011.99%202zM12%2020c-4.42%200-8-3.58-8-8s3.58-8%208-8%208%203.58%208%208-3.58%208-8%208zm-1-13h2v6h-2zm0%208h2v2h-2z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E  <storage-account-name>-<share-name> /mnt/%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%2024%2024%22%3E%3Cpath%20d=%22M11.99%202C6.47%202%202%206.48%202%2012s4.47%2010%209.99%2010C17.52%2022%2022%2017.52%2022%2012S17.52%202%2011.99%202zM12%2020c-4.42%200-8-3.58-8-8s3.58-8%208-8%208%203.58%208%208-3.58%208-8%208zm-1-13h2v6h-2zm0%208h2v2h-2z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E  -o vers=3.0,username=<storage-account-name>,password=<storage-account-key>,dir_mode=0777,file_mode=0777,cache=loose

Mounting with NFS (Linux)

NFS v4.1 is supported for Azure File shares. This requires a premium storage account.

sudo mount -o sec=sys,vers=4.1,proto=tcp <storage-account-name>.file.core.windows.net:/<storage-account-name>/<share-name> /mnt/%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%2024%2024%22%3E%3Cpath%20d=%22M11.99%202C6.47%202%202%206.48%202%2012s4.47%2010%209.99%2010C17.52%2022%2022%2017.52%2022%2012S17.52%202%2011.99%202zM12%2020c-4.42%200-8-3.58-8-8s3.58-8%208-8%208%203.58%208%208-3.58%208-8%208zm-1-13h2v6h-2zm0%208h2v2h-2z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E

Managing Permissions

Azure Files supports different permission models:

  • NTFS ACLs: For SMB shares, you can configure granular permissions using NTFS Access Control Lists (ACLs).
  • POSIX ACLs: For NFS shares, POSIX ACLs are used.
  • Azure RBAC: For managing access to the file share resource itself (e.g., create, delete shares).
Security Best Practice: Avoid using storage account keys directly for mounting in production environments. Consider using managed identities, Azure AD Kerberos, or service principals for more secure access.

Key Management Operations

Operation Description
Create Share Provision a new Azure file share.
Delete Share Remove an existing file share.
List Shares View all file shares within a storage account.
Get Share Properties Retrieve metadata and settings for a specific share.
Set Share Quota Adjust the maximum size of a file share.

Further Reading