This is a free multi-platform tool that you can download from here: General-purpose storage accounts Note After this chapter was completed, the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer team released a new version that supports all four types of storage objects-blobs, files, tables, and queues. In this chapter, we use the Azure portal, Visual Studio Cloud Explorer, and PowerShell to access the data.
For example, you cannot upload blobs or add and view messages in a queue. While you can view and update some data in the Azure portal, the customer experience is not complete. For your convenience, Microsoft has a page listing several of these, including its own. You can view your data objects using one of a number of storage explorers, each of which has different capabilities. This reference table shows the various kinds of storage accounts and what objects are used with each.īlob storage account, hot and cool access tiers We'll also touch briefly on securing your applications' use of Azure Storage.
We talk about each one, discuss what they are used for, and show how to create storage accounts and manage the data objects. In this chapter, we look at the four Azure Storage services.
Another new feature added in 2016 is cool storage, allowing you to store large amounts of rarely accessed data for a lower cost. Blob storage supports both standard and premium storage, with premium storage using only SSDs for the fastest performance possible. If you have a business case, you can talk to the Azure Storage team and get approval for up to 250 storage accounts in a subscription.Īzure Storage consists of four data services: Blob storage, File storage, Table storage, and Queue storage. An Azure subscription can host up to 100 storage accounts, each of which can hold 500 TB. Microsoft takes care of maintenance and handles critical problems for you. Microsoft Azure Storage is a Microsoft-managed service that provides durable, scalable, and redundant storage.