Azure Files: Cloud-Based File Shares

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. This allows you to lift and shift your on-premises file workloads to the cloud with minimal changes.

Tip: Azure Files is ideal for scenarios like replacing or supplementing on-premises file servers, distributing application settings, or enabling development/debugging.

Key Features

  • SMB & NFS Protocol Support: Mount shares on Windows, Linux, and macOS clients.
  • Fully Managed: No need to manage underlying hardware or operating systems.
  • Scalability: Scales to accommodate large amounts of data and high transaction volumes.
  • Redundancy: Various replication options for data durability.
  • Hybrid Scenarios: Integrate with Azure File Sync for caching on-premises.

Understanding Storage Tiers

Azure Files offers different storage tiers to optimize costs and performance:

  • Standard: Cost-effective tier for general-purpose file sharing, using HDDs.
  • Premium: High-performance tier for I/O-intensive workloads, using SSDs.

Creating and Mounting a File Share

Here’s a simplified overview of creating and mounting a file share. For detailed instructions, refer to the Azure documentation.

1. Create a Storage Account

First, you need an Azure Storage account. You can create one through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell.


az storage account create \
    --name mystorageaccount \
    --resource-group myresourcegroup \
    --location westus2 \
    --sku Standard_LRS \
    --kind StorageV2

2. Create a File Share

Within your storage account, you can create file shares.


az storage share create \
    --name myfileshare \
    --account-name mystorageaccount \
    --quota 1024 \
    --output table

3. Mount the File Share

On Windows:

You'll need the storage account name and the access key. Use the following command in PowerShell:


$connectTestResult = Test-NetConnection -ComputerName mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net -Port 445
if ($connectTestResult.TcpTestSucceeded) {
    cmd.exe /C "cmdkey /add:`"mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net`" /user:`"localhost\mystorageaccount`"  /pass:`"YOUR_ACCESS_KEY`""
    New-PSDrive -Name Z -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net\myfileshare" -Persist
} else {
    Write-Error -Message "Unable to reach the Azure storage account via port 445. Please check your network configuration."
}

On Linux:

Install the necessary CIFS utilities and mount the share:


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cifs-utils

sudo mkdir /mnt/mymountpoint
sudo mount -t cifs //mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net/myfileshare /mnt/mymountpoint -o vers=3.0,username=mystorageaccount,password='YOUR_ACCESS_KEY',dir_mode=0777,file_mode=0777,serverino
Important: Always protect your access keys. Consider using Azure AD authentication for enhanced security.

Azure File Sync

Azure File Sync allows you to synchronize one or more local file shares with an Azure Files share. This provides the benefits of cloud storage, such as scalability, tiering, and geo-replication, while keeping file access local for performance.

  • Server Endpoint: A path on a Windows Server.
  • Sync Group: A logical grouping of server endpoints and cloud endpoints.
  • Cloud Endpoint: An Azure Files share.

Use Cases

  • Replicating file shares: Synchronize on-premises file shares to Azure Files.
  • Centralized file access: Provide a single point of access for files across multiple locations.
  • Disaster Recovery: Replicate critical data to the cloud for business continuity.
  • Application settings: Store application configurations centrally.