Azure Basics · Module 06

Azure Storage – Accounts, Replication, Blobs, Security and Files

Create storage accounts with the right kind and replication, store blobs by tier and lifecycle, grant access with SAS and firewalls, share files with Azure Files and move data with AzCopy.

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What you will learn

• Choose a storage account kind and know the four services
• Compare LRS, ZRS, GRS, RA-GRS, GZRS and RA-GZRS
• Use containers, access tiers, lifecycle rules and blob types
• Protect storage with Entra ID, SAS, SSE and firewalls
• Use Azure Files, File Sync, AzCopy and Storage Explorer

Lessons

1. Storage Accounts, the Four Services and Account Kinds

   A storage account gives a unique namespace for Blob, Files, Queues and Tables; StorageV2 (Standard general-purpose v2) is the default choice, Premium is for low latency.

2. Replication Strategies

   LRS keeps 3 copies in one datacenter, ZRS spreads 3 across zones, GRS/GZRS add 3 copies in a secondary region (asynchronously); the RA- prefix allows reads from the secondary.

3. Blob Storage — Containers, Access Tiers, Lifecycle and Blob Types

   Blobs live in containers; the Hot, Cool, Cold and Archive tiers trade storage cost for access cost; lifecycle policies move or delete blobs automatically; the blob type (block, append, page) cannot change after creation.

4. Storage Security — Entra ID, SAS, Encryption and Firewalls

   Prefer Entra ID + RBAC; for temporary sharing, issue a SAS (ideally a user delegation SAS) with minimal rights and a short expiry; SSE is always on; firewalls restrict by IP or subnet.

5. Azure Files, File Sync and Tools

   Azure Files provides SMB/NFS file shares with quotas and snapshots; File Sync syncs shares with on-prem Windows Server; AzCopy, Storage Explorer and Import/Export move data.