AWS & Azure Storage Concepts
1.Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a service where data is stored on remote servers and accessed over the internet instead of local storage.
Benefits
- Scalability (expand anytime)
- High availability
- Pay-as-you-go pricing
- Backup & disaster recovery
2. Types of Storage
A. Object Storage
Used for storing unstructured data (images, videos, backups, logs).
AWS: S3
Azure: Blob Storage
Features:
- Stores data as objects (data + metadata + ID)
- Highly scalable
- Accessible via HTTP/HTTPS
Use Cases:
- Image storage
- Backups
- Static websites
B. Block Storage
Used for virtual machines and databases.
AWS: EBS
Azure: Managed Disks
Features:
- Low latency
- High performance
- Attached to VMs like a hard disk
Use Cases:
- OS disk
- Databases
C. File Storage
Used for shared file systems.
AWS: EFS
Azure: Azure Files
Features:
- Supports SMB/NFS protocols
- Multiple systems can access
Use Cases:
- Shared folders
- Lift-and-shift applications
3. Storage Classes / Tiers
AWS S3 Storage Classes
- Standard → Frequent access
- Intelligent-Tiering → Auto optimize cost
- Standard-IA → Infrequent access
- Glacier → Archive
- Glacier Deep Archive → Long-term storage
Azure Blob Storage Tiers
- Hot → Frequent access
- Cool → Less frequent
- Archive → Long-term storage
4. Data Redundancy
AWS
- Multi-AZ replication
- 99.999999999% durability (11 9’s)
Azure
- LRS (Local Redundant Storage)
- ZRS (Zone Redundant Storage)
- GRS (Geo Redundant Storage)
5. Security
Common Features
- Encryption at rest
- Encryption in transit
- Access control
AWS
- IAM policies
Azure
- RBAC
- SAS tokens
6. Access Methods
| Method | AWS | Azure |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | AWS CLI | Azure CLI |
| SDK | boto3 | azure-sdk |
| Portal | AWS Console | Azure Portal |
