Storage architecture design

The Azure Storage platform is the Microsoft cloud storage solution for modern data storage scenarios.

The Azure Storage platform includes the following data services:

  • Azure Blob Storage: A massively scalable object store for text and binary data. Also includes support for big data analytics through Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.
  • Azure Files: Managed file shares for cloud or on-premises deployments.
  • Azure NetApp Files: An Azure native, first-party, enterprise-class, high-performance file storage service.
  • Azure Queue Storage: A messaging store for reliable messaging between application components.
  • Azure Table Storage: A NoSQL store for schemaless storage of structured data.
  • Azure Disk Storage: Block-level storage volumes for Azure VMs.

Introduction to storage on Azure

If you're new to storage on Azure, the best way to learn more is Microsoft Learn training. This free online platform provides interactive learning for Microsoft products and more. Check out the Store data in Azure learning path.

Path to production

Best practices

Depending on the storage technology you use, see the following best practices resources:

Blob Storage

See the following guides for information about Blob Storage:

Azure Data Lake Storage

See the following guides for information about Data Lake Storage:

Azure Files

See the following guides for information about Azure Files:

Azure NetApp Files

See the following guides for information about Azure NetApp Files:

Queue Storage

See the following guides for information about Queue Storage:

Table Storage

See the following guides for information about Table Storage:

Azure Disk Storage

See the following guides for information about Azure managed disks:

Stay current with storage

Get the latest updates on Azure Storage products and features.

Additional resources

To plan for your storage needs, see Review your storage options.

Example solutions

Here are a few sample implementations of storage on Azure:

See more storage examples in the Azure Architecture Center.

AWS or Google Cloud professionals

These articles provide service mapping and comparison between Azure and other cloud services. They can help you ramp up quickly on Azure.