Azure Storage Overview

Last updated: June 10, 2024

Introduction

Azure Storage is a cloud storage solution that is highly available, secure, scalable, and durable. It offers a comprehensive set of services for various data storage needs, from unstructured data like images and videos to structured data for applications. With Azure Storage, you can store and access your data through REST APIs or client libraries, and you can securely manage access to your data.

Core Services

Azure Storage is comprised of several distinct services, each optimized for different types of data and access patterns:

Blob Storage

Azure Blob Storage is Microsoft's object storage solution for the cloud. It is optimized for storing massive amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data. Blob storage is ideal for:

• Serving images or documents directly to a browser.
• Storing files for distributed access.
• Streaming video and audio.
• Writing to log files.
• Storing data for backup and restore, disaster recovery, and archival.

File Storage

Azure Files offers fully managed cloud file shares that are accessible via the industry-standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol and Network File System (NFS) protocol. You can mount a cloud file share simultaneously from on-premises or in the cloud. Azure Files is ideal for:

• Replacing or supplementing on-premises file servers.
• Lift-and-shift application scenarios.
• Providing shared configuration files for cloud applications.

Queue Storage

Azure Queue Storage is a service that stores large numbers of messages that can be processed by a work queue. Queue messages are 64 KB in size or smaller. Queue Storage is used to store lists of messages that are not yet complete and need to be processed. It's commonly used for:

• Decoupling application components.
• Asynchronous processing of tasks.
• Building distributed applications.

Table Storage

Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store that allows you to store large amounts of structured, non-relational data. It's a cost-effective service that offers a flexible schema for managing datasets that require rapid access. Table storage is suitable for:

• Storing user data for applications.
• Storing metadata for Blob or File storage.
• Storing results from a WCF Data Service.

Disk Storage

Azure Disk Storage provides persistent block storage for virtual machines. Disk Storage is designed for performance and durability, offering a range of disk types to meet your application's needs, including:

• Ultra Disk: For I/O-intensive, mission-critical workloads.
• Premium SSD: For production and performance-sensitive workloads.
• Standard SSD: For workloads requiring consistent performance at an affordable price.
• Standard HDD: For backup, archive, and disaster recovery workloads.

Key Features

• Scalability: Azure Storage can scale to handle petabytes of data.
• Durability and Availability: Data is replicated across multiple locations to ensure durability and high availability.
• Security: Comprehensive security features including encryption at rest and in transit, access control, and network security.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Tiered storage options allow you to optimize costs based on data access frequency.
• Global Reach: Access your data from anywhere in the world.
• RESTful API: A standardized interface for accessing storage resources.

Common Use Cases

• Web Hosting: Hosting static websites and dynamic web applications.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Storing backups and enabling rapid recovery.
• Big Data Analytics: Storing vast amounts of data for analysis with services like Azure Databricks and Azure Synapse Analytics.
• Media Streaming: Delivering video and audio content efficiently.
• Application Data: Storing user profiles, application settings, and logs.
• IoT Data: Ingesting and processing telemetry data from IoT devices.

Getting Started

To start using Azure Storage, you'll need an Azure subscription. You can create a storage account within your subscription, which acts as a container for your storage data. Here's a basic example of how you might interact with Blob Storage using the Azure CLI:

az storage account create \
    --name mystorageaccount \
    --resource-group myResourceGroup \
    --location eastus \
    --sku Standard_RAGRS
                

az storage blob upload \
    --account-name mystorageaccount \
    --container-name mycontainer \
    --name myblob \
    --file /path/to/your/local/file.txt \
    --auth-mode login
                

You can also use Azure PowerShell, Azure SDKs for various programming languages (like .NET, Java, Python, Node.js), or the Azure portal for managing your storage resources.

Explore the official Azure Storage documentation for detailed guides, tutorials, and API references.