🗄️ Azure Storage Layer – Detailed Explanation
1. Azure Blob Storage (Object Storage)
Purpose: Storing unstructured data like images, videos, backups, and logs.
🔹 Key Features:
- Stores data as objects in containers.
- Supports tiered storage: Hot, Cool, Archive (optimize for access frequency).
- REST API accessible; supports SAS tokens and Azure AD auth.
- Highly scalable and geo-redundant.
🔹 Use Cases:
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Static website hosting
- Logging and telemetry
- Machine learning datasets
- Data lake (see ADLS Gen2)
2. Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2)
Purpose: Big data analytics storage built on top of Blob Storage.
🔹 Key Features:
- Combines Hadoop-compatible hierarchical namespace (folders) with Blob scalability.
- Optimized for analytics and parallel access.
- Supports ACLs and POSIX permissions.
- Integrated with Azure Synapse, Databricks, and HDInsight.
🔹 Use Cases:
- Big data analytics
- Enterprise data lakes
- Storing raw/processed data for AI/ML pipelines
3. Azure Files (File Shares)
Purpose: Fully managed file shares in the cloud using SMB/NFS protocols.
🔹 Key Features:
- Mountable via SMB or NFS on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Supports identity-based access (Azure AD DS).
- Premium tier (SSD) for high IOPS; Standard for general use.
- Geo-redundancy options available.
🔹 Use Cases:
- File server replacement (lift-and-shift)
- Shared configuration files across VMs/containers
- Application-level file storage
- Hosting FSLogix user profiles for Azure Virtual Desktop
4. Azure Disks (Managed Disks)
Purpose: Persistent block-level storage used for Azure Virtual Machines.
🔹 Key Features:
- Attached to VMs as OS/Data disks.
-
Disk types:
- Standard HDD – Low-cost dev/test
- Standard SSD – Balanced performance
- Premium SSD – High-performance workloads
- Ultra Disk – High IOPS, low latency (mission-critical DBs)
- Snapshots and disk encryption supported.
- Zone-redundant disks available in some regions.
🔹 Use Cases:
- VM boot and data volumes
- Databases (SQL Server, Oracle, etc.)
- High-performance applications
- Stateful workloads in AKS
5. Azure Table Storage (NoSQL Key-Value Store)
Purpose: Schema-less NoSQL storage for structured, non-relational data.
🔹 Key Features:
- Stores data as rows (entities) with key-value pairs.
- Partition key + row key = unique ID for fast lookup.
- Low-cost and massively scalable.
- Simple to use, accessed via REST or SDK.
🔹 Use Cases:
- Audit logs
- IoT device metadata
- User profile data
- Shopping cart or session data
6. Azure Queue Storage
Purpose: Messaging system for decoupling application components.
🔹 Key Features:
- Simple message queuing service (first-in-first-out).
- Used for communication between app layers/services.
- Highly available and durable.
- Supports Poison Message Handling.
🔹 Use Cases:
- Asynchronous processing
- Order/task/event handling pipelines
- Background jobs, queue-triggered functions
- Scaling microservices
7. Archive and Backup Storage
Purpose: Long-term data storage and protection.
🔹 Azure Backup:
- Centralized backup-as-a-service for VMs, SQL, file shares, etc.
- Managed through Recovery Services Vault.
- Supports retention, policy enforcement, and encryption.
🔹 Archive Storage (Blob Tier):
- Very low-cost tier for rarely accessed data.
- High latency (hours) to retrieve.
- Ideal for regulatory or compliance data.
🔹 Use Cases:
- Compliance data (7+ year retention)
- Legacy data archival
- DR strategy with Vaults
Summary Comparison Table:
| Storage Type | Data Model | Access Protocol | Best For | Performance Tiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blob Storage | Object | REST/SAS/ADLS Gen2 | Media, backups, ML data | Hot, Cool, Archive |
| ADLS Gen2 | Hierarchical | HDFS API, REST | Analytics, data lakes | Hot, Cool |
| Azure Files | File | SMB/NFS | Shared storage, legacy apps | Standard, Premium |
| Azure Disks | Block | Attached to VM | VM data, databases | HDD, SSD, Premium, Ultra |
| Table Storage | Key-Value | REST/SDK | Logs, metadata, NoSQL apps | N/A |
| Queue Storage | Messaging | REST/SDK | Decoupling services | N/A |
| Backup/Archive | All types | Azure Portal/SDK | Long-term storage | Vault, Archive Blob |
Great question. All the storage types mentioned in the Azure Storage Layer belong to one or more Azure services, either under Azure Storage or specialized services.
Here’s a clear mapping between storage types and the actual Azure service names you’ll find in the portal or when provisioning resources:
📦 Mapping: Storage Types → Azure Service Names
| Storage Type | Azure Service Name (in Portal/API) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Blob Storage | Storage Account (General-purpose v2) | Tiered object storage (Hot/Cool/Archive) |
| ✅ Data Lake Storage Gen2 | Storage Account (with hierarchical namespace) | Same as Blob but with Data Lake features |
| ✅ Azure Files | Storage Account (General-purpose v2) | File share via SMB/NFS |
| ✅ Azure Disks | Managed Disks | Resource attached to VMs |
| ✅ Table Storage | Storage Account | NoSQL key-value storage |
| ✅ Queue Storage | Storage Account | Basic messaging for apps |
| ✅ Backup Storage | Recovery Services Vault | Backups for VMs, SQL, files, etc. |
| ✅ Archive Blob | Storage Account (Blob Tier = Archive) | Archive tier in Blob service |
🔹 Service Categories in Azure Portal
| Azure Portal Category | Contains These Storage Types |
|---|---|
| Storage Account | Blob, File, Table, Queue, Data Lake Gen2 |
| Managed Disks | Azure Disks |
| Recovery Services Vault | Backup & Recovery-related storage |
| Azure NetApp Files | (Optional) High-performance enterprise file storage (not covered above) |
| Azure Backup | Uses Recovery Services Vault to store VM/File backups |
✅ Real-World Examples:
- Provisioning Blob, File, Table, Queue, or ADLS Gen2 storage? → You create a Storage Account.
- Want to store VM disks or snapshots? → Use Managed Disks.
- Need backup/DR services for VMs and databases? → Use Recovery Services Vault (under Azure Backup).
- Need low-cost long-term storage? → Use Blob Storage with Archive access tier.