Azure Storage Account
- Globally unique name
Overview
Supports:
- Blob
- File
- Queue
- Table
- Disk
Storage Services and Use Cases
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Blob Storage (incl. ADLS Gen2): Unstructured data, analytics data lakes, media, backups, static websites.
- Block Blob ==> Images, videos, static websites, etc.
- Append Blob ==> Log storage & live media streaming
- Page Blob ==> Disks (older) VHDs
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File Storage (Azure Files): SMB/NFS shares for lift-and-shift, FSLogix profiles, app configuration.
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Queue Storage: Decoupling, reliable messaging, task scheduling.
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Table Storage: NoSQL key–attribute store for simple, large-scale datasets.
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Disk Storage: Managed OS/data disks for VMs, high IOPS/low latency.
Azure Storage Redundancy
Azure Storage redundancy defines how Microsoft Azure replicates your data to ensure durability and availability.
1. Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
- Stores 3 copies of data within a single data center.
- Protects against hardware failures.
- Does NOT protect against data center outages.
Use case: Cost-sensitive applications with low risk of regional failure.
2. Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)
- Replicates data across 3 availability zones in the same region.
- Each zone is an independent physical location.
- Protects against data center failures.
Use case: High availability within a single region.
3. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)
- Stores:
- 3 copies in the primary region (LRS)
- 3 copies in a secondary region
- The secondary region is not accessible unless failover occurs.
Use case: Disaster recovery across regions.
4. Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage (GZRS)
- Combines ZRS and GRS:
- Data is spread across zones in the primary region
- Replicated to a secondary region
- Provides both high availability and disaster protection.
Use case: Mission-critical applications.
5. Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS / RA-GZRS)
- Same as GRS/GZRS but allows read access to the secondary region.
- Improves availability for read-heavy workloads.
Use case: Global applications needing continuous read access.
Comparison Table
| Type | Copies | Scope | Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| LRS | 3 | Single data center | ❌ |
| ZRS | 3 | Multiple zones | ✔ |
| GRS | 6 | Multi-region | ✔✔ |
| GZRS | 6+ | Zones + region | ✔✔✔ |
Choose based on cost, availability, and disaster recovery needs.
Azure Blob Storage Access Tiers
Azure Blob Storage provides different access tiers to optimize cost based on how frequently data is accessed.
Hot Tier
- Optimized for frequently accessed data
- Higher storage cost
- Lower access cost
- Fast (instant) access
Use cases:
- Active datasets
- Website content
- Frequently used files
Cool Tier
- Optimized for infrequently accessed data
- Lower storage cost than Hot
- Higher access cost than Hot
- Fast (instant) access
Use cases:
- Short-term backups
- Disaster recovery data
- Data accessed occasionally
Archive Tier (Cold)
- Optimized for rarely accessed data
- Lowest storage cost
- Highest access cost
- Data retrieval requires rehydration (can take hours)
Use cases:
- Long-term backups
- Compliance and archival data
- Historical logs
Comparison Table
| Tier | Storage Cost | Access Cost | Access Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | High | Low | Instant | Frequent access |
| Cool | Medium | Medium | Instant | Occasional access |
| Archive | Very Low | High | Hours delay | Rare access |
Choose the tier based on how often you access your data to balance cost and performance.
