Azure Files Quickstart - Microsoft Docs

This guide will walk you through the essential steps to get started with Azure Files, a fully managed cloud file share service that is accessible via the industry-standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

Overview

Azure Files offers several benefits, including:

Managed Service: No need to manage underlying hardware or infrastructure.
SMB 3.0 Support: Seamless integration with Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Scalability: Scales from gigabytes to petabytes of data.
High Availability: Data is replicated for durability and availability.

Prerequisites

An Azure subscription. If you don't have one, create a free account.
An Azure Storage account. You can create one in the Azure portal, using Azure CLI, or PowerShell.

Step 1: Create an Azure Storage Account

Using the Azure Portal:

Navigate to the Azure portal, click "Create a resource", search for "Storage account", and follow the prompts. Ensure you select a Standard_LRS or Standard_GRS replication option for Azure Files.

Using Azure CLI:

Open your Azure Cloud Shell or a local terminal with Azure CLI installed and run the following commands:

az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

az storage account create --name mystorageaccountname --resource-group myResourceGroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

Replace mystorageaccountname with a unique name for your storage account.

Step 2: Create an Azure File Share

Using the Azure Portal:

In your storage account's overview page, select "File shares" under "Data storage" and click "+ File share". Enter a name for your share (e.g., myshare) and set a quota.

Using Azure CLI:

Use the following command, replacing placeholders as needed:

az storage share create --name myshare --account-name mystorageaccountname --quota 1024 --output table

Step 3: Mount the Azure File Share

You can mount your Azure File share using SMB on various operating systems. Here's how to mount it on Windows and Linux.

Mounting on Windows

Get Storage Account Key:

You'll need your storage account name and a storage account key. You can find these in the Azure portal under your storage account's "Access keys" section.

Mount using File Explorer:

Open File Explorer, right-click "This PC", and select "Map network drive...".

Folder: Enter \\mystorageaccountname.file.core.windows.net\myshare
Drive: Choose an available drive letter.
Check "Connect using different credentials".

When prompted for credentials, enter:

Username: mystorageaccountname
Password: Your storage account key.

Mounting on Linux (Ubuntu Example)

Install cifs-utils:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install cifs-utils

Create a mount point:

sudo mkdir /mnt/azure

Mount the share:

You can mount temporarily or add to /etc/fstab for persistent mounting. For temporary mounting:

sudo mount -t cifs //mystorageaccountname.file.core.windows.net/myshare /mnt/azure -o vers=3.0,username=mystorageaccountname,password=YOUR_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY,dir_mode=0777,file_mode=0777,serverino

Replace YOUR_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY with your actual storage account key. For better security, consider using a credentials file with /etc/fstab.

Security Note: Avoid hardcoding storage account keys directly in scripts or configuration files. Consider using Azure Key Vault for managing secrets or managed identities for secure access.

Next Steps

Explore Azure Files features like snapshots, replication, and tiering.
Learn about integrating Azure Files with Azure virtual machines and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
Configure network access restrictions for your file shares.

For more detailed information, please refer to the official Azure Files documentation.