Tutorial on Azure Storage: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Started

Azure Storage is a cloud-based service that allows you to store and manage data in a scalable and secure way.

To get started with Azure Storage, you need to create a storage account, which is a container that holds all your data.

Storage accounts can be created in various regions around the world, and you can choose the region that best suits your needs.

You can store different types of data in Azure Storage, including blobs, files, queues, and tables.

To access your data, you can use Azure Storage Explorer, a free tool that allows you to manage and monitor your storage resources.

Azure Storage offers a free tier, which is perfect for small projects or testing purposes.

Additional reading: How to Increase Google Drive Storage Free

Azure Storage is a modern-day solution to all storage problems, offering limitless storage capacity. It's a pay-as-you-go model that gives you the flexibility of paying only for what you've used.

To access Azure Storage services, you need to have an Azure Storage account, which you can create by first setting up an Azure account.

Azure Storage supports different clients like .NET, Ruby, Java, and more, giving developers a range of options.

Here are the key advantages of storing data in the cloud:

To set up Azure Storage, you need to have an Azure Storage account and a supported version of your operating system, such as Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu, or Linux.

You can download and install Azure Storage Explorer, which is a user-friendly interface for managing your Azure Storage resources.

To connect your Azure Storage account to Azure Storage Explorer, follow these steps: Launch the Azure Storage Explorer application, right-click on "Storage accounts", then click "Connect to Azure Storage."

Curious to learn more? Check out: Storage Explorer for Azure

To set up Azure Storage, you'll need to ensure you have an Azure Storage account and a supported operating system.

First, download and install Azure Storage Explorer, which is available for Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu, and Linux.

You can set up Azure Storage Explorer by launching the application, right-clicking on "Storage accounts", and selecting "Connect to Azure Storage."

Check this out: Storage Explorer Azure Download

To connect to Azure Storage, you'll need to navigate to the "Select Azure Environment" panel, choose the Azure environment to sign in to, and then click "Next."

Fill in your credentials on the login web page that appears, and then close the webpage and return to Storage Explorer.

Once connected, you can right-click on any storage type to perform Azure Portal operations.

Before you can create an Azure Storage account, you'll need to log in to your Azure account and search for Storage.

You can then create a resource group if you don't have one, or select an existing one.

To create a new storage account, select "Create new" and add a name to your resource group.

Fill in all the required details, including subscription, resource group, storage account name, region, performance, and redundancy.

For the demo purpose, we'll go with Geo-redundant Storage (GRS).

Once you've filled in all the details, click on "Review + create" to review your options and details.

If everything looks good, select "Create" to deploy your storage account.

After deployment is complete, click on "Go to resource" to view the deployment status.

Worth a look: What Is Google One Storage

You'll then see an "Overview" of the created Storage Account, where you can click on "Containers" to select Blob Storage.

To create a new container, click on the "+" Container button and fill in the container's name and select access level.

For the demo purpose, we've selected Blob Public Level access.

Once you've created the container, you can select the Storage Account and click on "Access keys" to find the connection string.

The connection string will allow you to interact with your created Storage Account.

Intriguing read: Azure Storage Account Connection String

To create a container in Azure Storage, you'll want to follow these steps. First, navigate to the left pane and expand the storage account you want to use.

Right-click on "Blob Containers" and select "Create Blob Container" from the context menu. Enter the name for your blob container in the text box that appears below the "Blob Containers" folder.

You can also create a container by logging into the Azure portal and clicking on "Storage Accounts". After creating a new storage account, click on "Containers" to select Blob Storage.

For more insights, see: Azure Container Storage

To create a new container, click on the "+" Container button. It will ask you to fill in the container's name (it should be unique) and select the access level. For the demo purpose, we have selected Blob Public Level access. Click "Create" to proceed further.

Here are the details you'll need to fill in when creating a new container:

After creating the container, you can upload files to it by clicking on the "Upload" button at the right side pane.

Check this out: Upload File to Azure Blob Storage

Azure Storage offers several types of storage accounts, each supporting different features and pricing models.

One of the types is not specified in the article section, but we can infer that there are multiple options available.

For more information about storage account types, you can refer to the Azure storage account overview.

Storage account types have different pricing models, which can affect your costs.

It's essential to choose the right type of storage account for your needs to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Broaden your view: Storage Options in Azure

Connecting to Azure Storage is a straightforward process. You can start by downloading Azure Storage Explorer, which is available for both Windows and macOS.

To connect your Azure Storage account to Azure Storage Explorer, follow these steps: launch the Azure Storage Explorer application, right-click on “Storage accounts,” then click “Connect to Azure Storage.” This will open the “Select Azure Environment” panel, where you choose the Azure environment to sign in to, and then click “Next.”

After clicking “Next,” fill in your credentials on the login web page that appears. Once you've logged in, you can connect to your Blob Storage account using the connection string or the account name and key.

There are several ways to access data in Blob Storage, including using the Azure Portal, Azure Storage REST APIs, Azure PowerShell and CLI, Azure SDKs, Azure Data Factory, Azure Functions, and third-party tools like CloudBerry Explorer, Cyberduck, or Storage Made Easy.

Here's an interesting read: Which Azure Storage Service Supports Big Data Analytics

Here are some of the Azure Storage data API and library references you can use:

If you're new to Azure and Blob Storage, the easiest way to access Blob Storage is by using the Azure Portal. To do this, follow the steps outlined in the Azure Portal documentation or the tutorial on accessing Blob Storage using the Azure Portal.

Azure Storage is a powerful tool that offers a range of features to help you manage and store your data. Scalability is one of the key benefits of Azure Storage, allowing you to automatically scale up to accommodate peak demands.

Azure Storage is designed to be highly durable and available, with data replicated across different geographical locations to ensure that it remains safe in the event of hardware failure or natural disaster.

Security is also a top priority, with a shared key model used to authenticate users and shared access signatures (SAS) that can restrict access to data. This makes it much harder for intruders to access your information.

Consider reading: Azure Storage Account Key

You can access your data from anywhere over HTTP or HTTPS, and work with it using tools like Azure Storage Explorer and Azure portal. This makes it easy to manage and work with your data, even if you're not a tech expert.

Here are some of the key features of Azure Storage:

Data is automatically encrypted by Azure Storage before it's stored and decrypted before it's retrieved. This encryption process is transparent to users.

Azure Storage also offers the option to manage your own encryption keys using Azure Key Vault. This allows for an extra layer of control over your data security.

Azure NetApp Files volumes are encrypted using the FIPS 140-2 standard, ensuring an added layer of security for your data.

Discover more: Azure Blob Storage Security

Azure Storage offers two basic kinds of encryption. One is encryption at rest, which automatically encrypts all data prior to persisting to the storage account and decrypts it prior to retrieval.

On a similar theme: Azure Storage Encryption

Data encrypted at rest is transparent to users, and customers can choose to manage their own keys using Azure Key Vault. All Azure NetApp Files volumes are encrypted using the FIPS 140-2 standard.

Azure Storage also provides client-side encryption, which allows users to encrypt data from the client library before sending it across the wire and decrypting the response. This means data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Data traffic to Azure NetApp Files is inherently secure by design, staying within customer-owned VNet. However, data traffic from an Azure VM to Azure NetApp Files can be optionally encrypted using NFSv4.1 or SMB3.

See what others are reading: Azure Blob Storage Move Files between Containers C#

Secure Access is a top priority when it comes to protecting your data. Azure Storage supports five different authorization methods to ensure that only authorized users can access your data.

Microsoft Entra integration is recommended for its superior security and ease of use. It supports authentication and authorization with Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) for Blob, File, Table, and Queue services.

Recommended read: Azure Blob Storage Access

You can also use identity-based authentication over SMB for Azure Files, which supports on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), Microsoft Entra Domain Services, or Microsoft Entra Kerberos.

Shared Key authorization is another option, where a client passes a header with every request that is signed using the storage account access key.

Shared access signatures (SAS) provide an additional layer of security by encapsulating constraints such as permissions and the interval of access.

Here are the five authorization methods supported by Azure Storage:

Each of these methods offers a unique set of benefits, so it's essential to choose the one that best fits your needs.

When moving data to and from Azure Storage, you have several options to choose from, depending on the size of your dataset and network bandwidth. For smaller datasets, you can use any file-based copy tool to migrate data to Azure NetApp Files, which provides NFS and SMB volumes.

For your interest: What Is the Data Storage in Azure Called

Azure NetApp Files offers a convenient solution for data migration and protection, making it a great option for smaller datasets. You can access more information on data migration and protection FAQs for Azure NetApp Files for more details.

If you need to move larger datasets, you can use the Storage Data Movement Client Library for .NET to leverage the Azure Storage data movement API. This API provides a powerful solution for data transfer, making it ideal for larger datasets.

Expand your knowledge: Google Storage Api

You can create a table in Azure Storage Explorer by selecting the table node, right-clicking, and clicking on the "create table link." Alternatively, you can click on the "Create table link" from the "Actions" section.

To create a table, you'll need to add entities with properties, which are linked to a partition key, row key, and timestamp.

Select the table node, right-click on that, and click on the “create table link” or from the “Actions” section, click on the “Create table link.” This will add one record to the table.

On a similar theme: Azure Table Storage

You can easily add more records to the table by repeating the steps above.

Table Storage is an inexpensive service that stores large amounts of semi-structured, non-relational data in a key-value format.

The data in Table Storage is stored using names and value pairs, making it easy to access using a clustered index.

You can use protocols like REST and OData to access Azure Storage Explorer.

On a similar theme: Python Access Azure Blob Storage

You can transfer data to and from Azure Storage using various options, depending on the size of your dataset and network bandwidth. This includes Azure NetApp Files, which provides NFS and SMB volumes, and can be used with any file-based copy tool.

Azure Storage data movement API is a convenient option for moving data into or out of Azure Storage. The Storage Data Movement Client Library for .NET is available for use with this API.

To access data in blob storage, you can use the Azure Portal, Azure Storage REST APIs, Azure PowerShell and CLI, Azure SDKs, Azure Data Factory, Azure Functions, or third-party tools like CloudBerry Explorer, Cyberduck, or Storage Made Easy.

Uploading a document to Azure Blob Storage is a straightforward process that can be completed using Azure Storage Explorer. You can select either "Upload folder" or "Upload files" depending on the data you want to upload.

If you choose to upload a folder, you can select the appropriate blob type, Access tier, destination directories, and tags, if any. Once you've made your selections, simply click "Upload" to upload the file to Azure blob storage.

You can also use file-based copy tools to migrate data to Azure Storage, such as Azure NetApp Files, which provides NFS and SMB volumes. This can be a good option if you have a large dataset and limited network bandwidth.

To confirm that your file has been successfully uploaded, you can find the uploaded file and its details in the blob container pane. This is a great way to verify that your upload was successful and that your file is now stored in Azure Blob Storage.

A different take: Azure Cli Upload File to Blob Storage

Here are the steps to upload a document to Azure Blob Storage using Azure Storage Explorer:

Note that the specific steps may vary depending on your Azure subscription and the type of data you're uploading. Be sure to check the Azure documentation for the most up-to-date information.

Azure Storage offers a wide range of libraries and tools to make working with storage easier. You can access resources in a storage account by any language that can make HTTP/HTTPS requests.

Azure Storage has programming libraries for several popular languages, including .NET, Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, and C++. These libraries simplify many aspects of working with Azure Storage.

The libraries handle details such as synchronous and asynchronous invocation, batching of operations, exception management, automatic retries, and operational behavior. This makes it easier to work with Azure Storage without having to handle these complexities yourself.

Here are some of the languages and platforms that Azure Storage libraries are currently available for:

You can also use the Azure Storage REST API to access resources in a storage account, without relying on a specific library. This is useful if you're working with a language that doesn't have a native Azure Storage library.

To get started with Azure Storage, you'll need to create a storage account. This can be done through the Azure portal, where you can choose from various storage account types, including Blob, File, Queue, and Table.

Azure Storage offers a free tier, allowing you to store up to 5 GB of data for free. This is a great option for small projects or testing purposes.

The Azure portal provides a user-friendly interface for managing your storage account, including creating containers, uploading files, and setting permissions.

A fresh viewpoint: Dropbox How Much Free Storage

When you're done using Azure Blob Storage, you'll need to retrieve your data. Blob Storage uses a Content Delivery Network that makes it easy to scale and store large amounts of data.

You can retrieve your data at any time, but keep in mind that the cost of data retrieval varies depending on the storage type you chose. For example, if you opted for Archive storage, you'll be charged 1.5864 rupees per GB for data retrieval.

If you're using LRS (Locally Redundant Storage), you'll be charged for data retrieval based on the storage type you chose. Here's a breakdown of the costs for data retrieval with LRS:

This means that if you're storing 100 GB of data in Archive storage, you'll be charged 158.64 rupees for data retrieval.

Getting started with Azure Storage is an exciting experience. It's a hands-on process, and you can begin by creating an Azure Storage account, just like in Example 1.

You can create a new storage account by clicking on Storage accounts. In the same notepad, you can copy and paste the link of key1/key2 and Connection strings.

To access files from the URL, you'll need to create a blob container, as shown in Example 2. This involves right-clicking on Blob Containers, selecting Create Blob Container, and entering a name for your container.

You can then upload a file to the container by browsing for it and selecting it. After uploading, you can view the details of the file, including a URL that you can use to access it.

Recommended read: Azure Files vs Blob

However, to view the file, you'll need to change the access level of your blob account. This involves selecting Change access level from the drop-down menu and choosing the last option, Container.

Once you've done this, you can open a new tab and paste the URL to view the file. It's a simple yet effective process.

If you want to store structured data, you can create an Azure Table, as shown in Example 3. This involves selecting Table under the storage account and right-clicking on Tables to select Create Table.

You can then name the new table and add columns by clicking on Add. You can choose the data type of your column value and enter a value.

Alternatively, you can create an Azure File share, as shown in Example 4. This involves clicking on File share to create a new file and entering network credentials to proceed.

It's a great feeling to see your data stored and accessible in Azure Storage. With these steps, you can get started with Azure Storage and begin exploring its features.

Recommended read: How to Create a Blob Storage in Azure

To get started with Azure Storage, it's essential to have the right tools and knowledge. You can install the Azure Storage Explorer by searching for it and downloading the link that suits your OS.

This tool will help you work with various storage types, including blobs, queues, files, and tables. Once installed, you'll need to connect with your Azure Storage account.

To do this, select the radio button "Use a connection string" and enter your storage account name. Remember, you'll need to have saved the connection details in a notepad earlier.

After connecting, you'll be able to see your account on the left side of the Storage Explorer. You can then expand it to view the different storage types.

To practice working with Azure Queue, create a new queue by right-clicking on "Queues" and selecting "Create Queue". Name the queue and select "Add Message" to write a message in the given space.

See what others are reading: Create Storage Account Azure

You can also set an expiration time for the message, which will automatically dequeue it after the specified time. For example, if you set the time to 7 minutes, the message will get deleted after 7 minutes.

To view the message, go to the portal and navigate to Queue from your storage account. However, be aware that the message will get deleted after the specified time, and you won't be able to view it after refreshing the screen.

Additional reading: Azure Recover Deleted Storage Account