Storage account creation in Azure - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Creating a storage account in Azure lets you save files, backups, and data safely in the cloud. It solves the problem of needing a reliable place to keep your data accessible from anywhere.

When you want to store images and videos for your website.

When you need to back up important documents automatically.

When your app needs to save user data like profiles or settings.

When you want to share files securely with your team.

When you need a place to keep logs and analytics data.

Config File - storage-account-template.json

storage-account-template.json

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts",
      "apiVersion": "2022-09-01",
      "name": "examplestorageacct01",
      "location": "eastus",
      "sku": {
        "name": "Standard_LRS"
      },
      "kind": "StorageV2",
      "properties": {
        "accessTier": "Hot"
      }
    }
  ]
}

This JSON file is an Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template that defines a storage account resource.

• type: Specifies the resource type as a storage account.
• apiVersion: The version of the Azure API to use.
• name: The unique name of the storage account.
• location: The Azure region where the storage account will be created.
• sku: Defines the performance and replication type; here, Standard locally-redundant storage.
• kind: Specifies the storage account type; StorageV2 supports blobs, files, queues, and tables.
• properties.accessTier: Sets the access tier to 'Hot' for frequently accessed data.

Commands

This command creates a resource group named 'exampleResourceGroup' in the East US region. Resource groups hold related Azure resources together.

Terminal

az group create --name exampleResourceGroup --location eastus

Expected Output

{

  "id": "/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/exampleResourceGroup",

  "location": "eastus",

  "managedBy": null,

  "name": "exampleResourceGroup",

  "properties": {

    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"

  },

  "tags": {},

  "type": "Microsoft.Resources/resourceGroups"

}

→

--name - Specifies the name of the resource group

→

--location - Specifies the Azure region for the resource group

This command deploys the storage account defined in the ARM template file to the resource group.

Terminal

az deployment group create --resource-group exampleResourceGroup --template-file storage-account-template.json

Expected Output

{

  "id": "/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/exampleResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Resources/deployments/deployment1",

  "name": "deployment1",

  "properties": {

    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",

    "outputs": {}

  }

}

→

--resource-group - Specifies the target resource group for deployment

→

--template-file - Specifies the ARM template file to deploy

This command retrieves details about the storage account to confirm it was created successfully.

Terminal

az storage account show --name examplestorageacct01 --resource-group exampleResourceGroup

Expected Output

{

  "id": "/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/exampleResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/examplestorageacct01",

  "location": "eastus",

  "name": "examplestorageacct01",

  "primaryEndpoints": {

    "blob": "https://examplestorageacct01.blob.core.windows.net/",

    "file": "https://examplestorageacct01.file.core.windows.net/",

    "queue": "https://examplestorageacct01.queue.core.windows.net/",

    "table": "https://examplestorageacct01.table.core.windows.net/"

  },

  "sku": {

    "name": "Standard_LRS"

  },

  "tags": {},

  "type": "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts"

}

→

--name - Specifies the storage account name to show

→

--resource-group - Specifies the resource group containing the storage account

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: a storage account is a container in Azure where you keep your files and data safely and you create it by deploying a resource group and then the storage account resource.

Common Mistakes

Trying to create a storage account without first creating a resource group.

Azure requires resources to be inside a resource group; without it, the creation fails.

Always create or specify an existing resource group before deploying a storage account.

Using a storage account name that is not globally unique.

Storage account names must be unique across all Azure users; duplicates cause errors.

Choose a unique name using a combination of words and numbers to avoid conflicts.

Deploying the ARM template with syntax errors or missing required fields.

Invalid templates cause deployment failures and no storage account is created.

Validate the ARM template JSON syntax and required properties before deployment.

Summary

Create a resource group to hold your Azure resources.

Deploy a storage account using an ARM template to define its settings.

Verify the storage account creation by retrieving its details.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of an Azure Storage Account?

easy

A. To store and manage data in the cloud

B. To run virtual machines

C. To host websites

D. To monitor network traffic

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of a storage account

   An Azure Storage Account is designed to hold data like files, blobs, and tables securely in the cloud.

2. Step 2: Compare with other Azure services

   Running virtual machines, hosting websites, and monitoring network traffic are handled by other Azure services, not storage accounts.

3. Final Answer:

   To store and manage data in the cloud -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Storage account = cloud data storage [OK]

Hint: Storage account = cloud folder for data [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing storage account with virtual machines
• Thinking storage account hosts websites
• Mixing storage with monitoring services

2. Which Azure CLI command correctly creates a storage account named mystorage123 in resource group mygroup located in eastus with SKU Standard_LRS and kind StorageV2?

easy

A. az storage account new --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

B. az storage create --account-name mystorage123 --group mygroup --region eastus --sku Standard_LRS --type StorageV2

C. az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

D. az create storage account --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct Azure CLI command syntax

   The correct command to create a storage account is az storage account create with parameters for name, resource group, location, SKU, and kind.

2. Step 2: Check parameter names and values

   az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2 uses the correct parameter names and values matching Azure CLI documentation.

3. Final Answer:

   az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct CLI syntax = az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2 [OK]

Hint: Use 'az storage account create' with correct flags [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong command verbs like 'create' vs 'new'
• Incorrect parameter names like '--group' instead of '--resource-group'
• Mixing up SKU or kind parameter values

3. What will happen if you run this Azure CLI command?

az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Premium_LRS --kind BlobStorage

medium

A. Creates a Blob Storage account with premium performance

B. Creates a general purpose v2 storage account

C. Creates a storage account with standard performance

D. Fails because BlobStorage kind does not support Premium_LRS SKU

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SKU and kind compatibility

   BlobStorage kind supports only Standard performance SKUs, not Premium_LRS.

2. Step 2: Predict command behavior

   Using Premium_LRS SKU with BlobStorage kind causes the command to fail due to incompatible parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   Fails because BlobStorage kind does not support Premium_LRS SKU -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   BlobStorage + Premium_LRS = failure [OK]

Hint: Match SKU and kind compatibility before creating [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming all SKUs work with all kinds
• Thinking BlobStorage supports premium SKUs
• Ignoring error messages from CLI

4. You tried to create a storage account with this command:

az storage account create --name mystorage123 --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

But you get an error saying the name is already taken. What should you do to fix this?

medium

A. Change the storage account name to a unique one

B. Change the resource group name

C. Change the location to another region

D. Change the SKU to Premium_LRS

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand storage account name uniqueness

   Storage account names must be globally unique across Azure.

2. Step 2: Identify the cause of the error

   The error indicates the chosen name is already used by someone else.

3. Step 3: Fix by changing the name

   Changing the name to a unique one resolves the conflict and allows creation.

4. Final Answer:

   Change the storage account name to a unique one -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Unique name needed = Change the storage account name to a unique one [OK]

Hint: Storage account names must be unique globally [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Changing resource group instead of name
• Changing location or SKU won't fix name conflict
• Ignoring error details about name uniqueness

5. You want to create a storage account optimized for storing large amounts of unstructured data with high durability and geo-redundancy. Which combination of SKU and kind should you choose?

hard

A. SKU: Premium_LRS, Kind: BlobStorage

B. SKU: Standard_GRS, Kind: StorageV2

C. SKU: Standard_LRS, Kind: FileStorage

D. SKU: Standard_ZRS, Kind: StorageV1

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify requirements for unstructured data and durability

   StorageV2 kind supports blobs and unstructured data with advanced features.

2. Step 2: Choose SKU with geo-redundancy

   Standard_GRS provides geo-redundant storage for high durability across regions.

3. Step 3: Match SKU and kind

   Standard_GRS with StorageV2 is the best fit for large unstructured data with geo-redundancy.

4. Final Answer:

   SKU: Standard_GRS, Kind: StorageV2 -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Geo-redundant + unstructured data = SKU: Standard_GRS, Kind: StorageV2 [OK]

Hint: Use Standard_GRS SKU with StorageV2 kind for geo-redundant blobs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Premium SKU without geo-redundancy
• Using FileStorage kind for blobs
• Selecting StorageV1 which is legacy