Understanding and Disabling Snapshot Creation in Azure Blob Storage

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to better understand the snapshot creation mechanism in Azure Blob Storage and would appreciate some insights from the community.

My questions are:

What triggers snapshot creation? I’m unclear on what specific operations or configurations lead to a snapshot being created. Is it an automatic process tied to certain blob operations, or does it occur only when explicitly requested via the API/portal? Any details on the underlying mechanism would be very helpful.

Is it possible to disable snapshot creation completely? I haven't found any option in the Azure portal or documentation that allows for disabling snapshot creation entirely. If snapshots are created automatically, is there a way to turn off this feature, or must they be managed (e.g., deleted) after creation?

I’m looking for guidance on both understanding when and why snapshots are generated and on any available methods to control or disable this behavior if it's not desired.

Answer 1

Hi,

What triggers snapshot creation? I’m unclear on what specific operations or configurations lead to a snapshot being created. Is it an automatic process tied to certain blob operations, or does it occur only when explicitly requested via the API/portal? Any details on the underlying mechanism would be very helpful.

A:  A snapshot is created when requested via REST API/portal/CLI/PS. It is not automatic.

Is it possible to disable snapshot creation completely? I haven't found any option in the Azure portal or documentation that allows for disabling snapshot creation entirely. If snapshots are created automatically, is there a way to turn off this feature, or must they be managed (e.g., deleted) after creation?

A:  There is no option to disable snapshot creation

Snapshot Blob (REST API)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/storageservices/snapshot-blob?tabs=microsoft-entra-id

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Thanks.

-TP

Answer 2

Hi Vu, Hong Phuc,

Greetings & Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum! Thanks for posting your query!

What triggers snapshot creation?

Snapshots in Azure Blob Storage are primarily created when explicitly requested through the REST API/PowerShell/Azure Portal/CLI. They do not occur automatically as a result of blob operations. A snapshot is a read-only version of a blob taken at a specific point in time, and it is created manually by the user or application by calling the " Snapshot Blob" API.

Is it possible to disable snapshot creation completely?

It is not possible to disable snapshot creation on Azure storage. Snapshots are a core feature of Azure Blob Storage and cannot be disabled. However, you can manage snapshots by deleting them when they are no longer needed. You can also update your application to stop taking snapshots of block blobs.

References:

Blob snapshots

Create a snapshot of a blob

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