Storage commands in Azure - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

Understanding Azure Blob Storage Container Creation

You run the command to create a new blob container in Azure Storage:

az storage container create --name mycontainer --account-name mystorageaccount --public-access blob

What is the effect of the --public-access blob option?

A The container and all blobs inside are publicly readable without authentication.

B Only the blobs inside the container are publicly readable, but the container metadata is private.

C The container is private and requires authentication for all access.

D The container is publicly writable but not readable.

💡 Hint

Think about what 'blob' level public access means compared to 'container' level.

The '--public-access blob' option allows anonymous read access to blobs within the container, but the container metadata remains private. This means users can read blobs if they know the URL but cannot list blobs or read container properties.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

Correct Azure CLI Command to Upload a File to Blob Storage

Which Azure CLI command correctly uploads a local file named report.pdf to a blob container named documents in the storage account mystorage?

A az storage container upload --name documents --file report.pdf --account-name mystorage

B az storage blob upload-file --container documents --file report.pdf --account mystorage

C az storage blob upload --container-name documents --file report.pdf --name report.pdf --account-name mystorage

D az storage blob put --container documents --file report.pdf --account-name mystorage

💡 Hint

Check the exact command and parameter names for uploading blobs.

The correct command is 'az storage blob upload' with parameters '--container-name', '--file', '--name', and '--account-name'. Other options are invalid or use wrong parameter names.

❓ Architecture

advanced

Choosing Storage Account Type for High Transaction Workloads

You need to design an Azure Storage solution for an application with very high transaction rates and low latency requirements. Which storage account type should you choose?

A Premium block blob storage account

B Blob storage account with cool access tier

C General-purpose v1 storage account

D General-purpose v2 (GPv2) storage account with standard performance

💡 Hint

Consider performance tiers and latency for storage accounts.

Premium block blob storage accounts provide low latency and high throughput, suitable for high transaction workloads. Standard accounts have higher latency and lower throughput.

❓ security

advanced

Effect of Enabling Soft Delete on Azure Blob Storage

What happens when you enable soft delete on an Azure Blob Storage container?

A Deleted blobs are retained for a configurable period and can be restored during that time.

B Deleted blobs are permanently removed immediately and cannot be recovered.

C Blobs cannot be deleted while soft delete is enabled.

D Soft delete encrypts blobs automatically at rest.

💡 Hint

Think about what 'soft delete' means in data protection.

Soft delete retains deleted blobs for a retention period, allowing recovery if deletion was accidental. It does not prevent deletion or encrypt data.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Optimizing Azure Storage Costs for Infrequently Accessed Data

You have large amounts of data that are rarely accessed but must be retained for compliance. Which Azure Storage strategy best balances cost and accessibility?

A Store data in a general-purpose v2 account using the hot access tier.

B Store data in a premium block blob storage account with cool access tier.

C Store data in a general-purpose v1 account with standard performance.

D Store data in a blob storage account using the archive access tier.

💡 Hint

Consider access frequency and cost trade-offs of storage tiers.

The archive tier is the lowest cost option for rarely accessed data but has higher latency for retrieval. It is ideal for compliance data that is infrequently read.

Practice

1. What does the Azure CLI command az storage account create do?

easy

A. Lists all storage accounts in your subscription

B. Deletes an existing storage account

C. Creates a new storage account in Azure

D. Uploads a file to a storage container

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command purpose

   The command az storage account create is used to create a new storage account in Azure.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Other options describe deleting, listing, or uploading, which are different commands.

3. Final Answer:

   Creates a new storage account in Azure -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Create storage account = Creates new account [OK]

Hint: Create means make new storage account [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing create with delete
• Thinking it lists accounts
• Mixing upload with account creation

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to list blobs in a container using Azure CLI?

easy

A. az storage account list --container mycontainer

B. az storage blob list --container-name mycontainer

C. az storage blob upload --container mycontainer

D. az storage container list --blob-name myblob

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the command to list blobs

   The command to list blobs is az storage blob list with the container name specified.

2. Step 2: Check option syntax correctness

   az storage blob list --container-name mycontainer uses correct command and parameter --container-name. Other options misuse commands or parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   az storage blob list --container-name mycontainer -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   List blobs = az storage blob list [OK]

Hint: List blobs uses 'az storage blob list' with container name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using container list instead of blob list
• Mixing upload command with list
• Wrong parameter names

3. What will be the output of the following command if the container photos has three blobs named img1.jpg, img2.jpg, and img3.jpg?

az storage blob list --container-name photos --output table

medium

A. A table listing img1.jpg, img2.jpg, img3.jpg blobs

B. An error saying container not found

C. A list of storage accounts

D. An empty list with no blobs

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command and container contents

   The command lists blobs in the container named 'photos'. The container has three blobs: img1.jpg, img2.jpg, img3.jpg.

2. Step 2: Predict the output format

   The --output table option formats the output as a table showing blob names.

3. Final Answer:

   A table listing img1.jpg, img2.jpg, img3.jpg blobs -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   List blobs with table output = table of blob names [OK]

Hint: List blobs shows all files in container as table [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting error when container exists
• Confusing blobs with storage accounts
• Assuming empty output incorrectly

4. You run the command az storage blob upload --container-name docs --file report.pdf but get an error. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The file report.pdf does not exist locally

B. The command syntax is incorrect

C. The container docs does not exist

D. Missing the storage account connection string or credentials

Solution

1. Step 1: Check command requirements

   The upload command requires authentication details like connection string or account key to access storage.

2. Step 2: Analyze common error causes

   Missing credentials is the most common cause of upload failure, even if file and container exist.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing the storage account connection string or credentials -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Upload error usually means missing credentials [OK]

Hint: Upload needs credentials; missing them causes errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming file missing without checking
• Ignoring authentication requirements
• Thinking syntax is wrong when it is correct

5. You want to automate backing up files from your local folder backup to an Azure blob container named backup-container. Which sequence of commands correctly achieves this?

hard

A. 1) az storage container create --name backup-container
2) az storage blob upload-batch --source backup --destination backup-container

B. 1) az storage account create --name backup-container
2) az storage blob upload --file backup

C. 1) az storage blob list --container-name backup-container
2) az storage blob download --container-name backup-container

D. 1) az storage container delete --name backup-container
2) az storage blob upload-batch --source backup --destination backup-container

Solution

1. Step 1: Create the container if it does not exist

   The command az storage container create creates the container named 'backup-container'.

2. Step 2: Upload all files from local folder to container

   The command az storage blob upload-batch uploads all files from the local 'backup' folder to the container.

3. Final Answer:

   1) az storage container create --name backup-container 2) az storage blob upload-batch --source backup --destination backup-container -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Create container then batch upload = backup done [OK]

Hint: Create container first, then upload batch files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to upload without container
• Confusing account creation with container
• Deleting container before upload