Blob Storage
Blob storage is a non-relational object storage service in the cloud, used for unstructured data such as images, audio, video, and documents. It provides scalable, durable, and highly available data storage with low latency and high throughput. Blob storage can be accessed through REST APIs or client libraries for easy integration with other applications.
Key Features of Blob Storage
- It can store and serve unlimited amounts of unstructured data.
- Offers high durability through automatic and configurable data replication.
- Provides secure and fast access to data through HTTP/HTTPS and REST APIs.
- Supports multiple data types including block blobs, append blobs, and page blobs.
- Pay-as-you-go pricing based on data usage and storage.
- Can integrate with other Azure services, such as Azure Functions and Azure Data Lake.
- Supports encryption of data at rest and in transit, and also role-based access control.
Applications of Blob Storage
- Storing and serving large files such as images, audio, and video.
- As a highly durable data storage, Blob storage can be used to store backup data.
- Storing large data sets for processing and analysis with tools such as Azure Data Lake.
Types of Storage Account in Microsoft Azure
Pre-requisite: Storage Accounts
In Azure, the term “Storage type” refers to the different types of storage services offered by Azure to store data. These types of storage services vary in their performance, durability, and cost characteristics, and are designed to meet specific data storage needs.
The following are the main storage types in Azure:
- Blob Storage: Non-relational object storage service for unstructured data.
- File Storage: SMB-based file storage service for cloud or on-premises applications.
- Queue Storage: A service for storing and retrieving large numbers of messages for communication between microservices.
- Table Storage: A NoSQL key-value store for semi-structured data.
- Disk Storage: Managed disk storage for virtual machines.