Learn how to create Azure Storage account

Creating an Azure Storage Account is a fundamental task when working with Azure cloud services.

A Storage Account provides access to Azure's data storage services, including Blob, File, Queue, and Table storage.

Here's a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Log in to the Azure Portal

1. Open the Azure Portal.

2. Sign in with your Azure account credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to Storage Accounts

1. In the Azure Portal, search for Storage accounts in the search bar at the top and select it from the results.

2. Click + Create to start the storage account creation process.

Step 3: Configure the Basics

1. Subscription

Choose the Azure subscription you want to use.

2. Resource Group

Select an existing resource group or create a new one by clicking Create new.

3. Storage Account Name

• Enter a unique name for your storage account.

• Names must be between 3-24 characters, only contain lowercase letters and numbers.

4. Region

• Choose the Azure region where the storage account will be located.

• Select a region close to your users for better performance.

5. Performance

Standard

Cost-effective for general-purpose storage (HDD-based).

Premium

Low-latency storage for high-performance needs (SSD-based).

6. Redundancy

LRS (Locally-redundant storage)

Data is replicated within a single datacenter.

ZRS (Zone-redundant storage)

Data is replicated across multiple availability zones within a region.

GRS (Geo-redundant storage)

Data is replicated across regions for disaster recovery.

RA-GRS (Read-access Geo-redundant storage)

Adds read access to GRS.

Step 4: Advanced Settings (Optional)

1. Data Protection

• Enable features like soft delete for blobs, containers, or file shares to recover accidentally deleted data.

• Configure versioning to maintain file versions.

2. Blob Access Tier (only for Blob Storage)

Hot

Frequently accessed data.

Cool

Infrequently accessed data for long-term storage.

Archive

Rarely accessed data stored for long durations.

Step 5: Networking

1. Connectivity:

   • Public endpoint (all networks): Accessible from any network.

   • Public endpoint (selected networks): Restricts access to specific IP ranges or virtual networks.

   • Private endpoint: Restricts access to your virtual network only.

2. Configure the desired settings based on your security and access needs.

Step 6: Review and Create

1. Review all the settings on the Review + Create tab.

2. If everything is configured correctly, click Create.

3. The storage account deployment process will start, and you'll be notified once it is complete.

Step 7: Access and Use the Storage Account

1. Navigate to the newly created storage account in the Azure portal.

2. Explore the available services:

   • Blob storage: Manage unstructured data (e.g., documents, images).

   • File shares: Mountable network file shares.

   • Queues: Message storage for reliable communication between applications.

   • Tables: NoSQL database storage.

Additional Notes

Access Keys

• Navigate to Security + networking > Access keys in the storage account settings to view or regenerate keys.

• Use these keys to authenticate access programmatically or through Azure Storage Explorer.

Azure CLI/PowerShell

You can also create storage accounts using Azure CLI or PowerShell:

• CLI:

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az storage account create \
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--name YourStorageAccountName \
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--resource-group YourResourceGroupName \
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--location YourRegion \
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--sku Standard_LRS

• PowerShell:

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New-AzStorageAccount `
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-ResourceGroupName YourResourceGroupName `
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-Name YourStorageAccountName `
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-Location YourRegion `
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-SkuName Standard_LRS

Your Azure Storage Account is now ready for use!