Azure Blob Storage Setup & Tier Management

Azure Blob Storage is Microsoft's object storage service for large amounts of unstructured data. In Blober, Azure paths use:

container-name/path/to/blob.ext

• ✅ Browse containers and blobs
• ✅ Upload files
• ✅ Download files
• ✅ Delete files
• ✅ Change blob tier (Hot/Cool/Cold/Archive)
• ✅ Change container access level (Private/Blob/Container)
• ✅ View blob metadata

• An Azure account (create one free)
• An Azure Storage account
• Storage account access keys or connection string

• Format: a connection string containing the account name, key, and endpoint

Example:

DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=myaccount;AccountKey=mykey;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net

• Default: Cool
• Used for: Destination
• Values: Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive

Sets the access tier for newly uploaded blobs. Which tier suits which data:

• Default: Skip if a file with the same name exists
• Used for: Destination

For the policies (skip, overwrite), where the control appears, and how deduplication differs from resuming a task, see Deduplication.

These options appear when using Azure Blob Storage as a mutate action in a workflow. Only one mutation can be active at a time.

• Default: Cool
• Required: Yes (when selected)
• Values: Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive

Move selected blobs to a different storage tier. Use this to change the access tier of existing blobs, for example, moving infrequently accessed data from Hot to Cool or Archive.

• Default: private
• Required: Yes (when selected)

Change the public access level of selected containers.

1. Go to Azure Portal
2. Search for "Storage accounts"
3. Click "Create"
4. Fill in:
   • Subscription: Your Azure subscription
   • Resource group: Create new or use existing
   • Storage account name: Unique name (e.g., mybloberstorage)
   • Region: Choose closest to you
   • Performance: Standard (or Premium for high-performance needs)
   • Redundancy: LRS (locally redundant) for cost savings
5. Click "Review + create" => "Create"

1. Open your Storage account in Azure Portal
2. In the left menu, go to Security + networking => Access keys
3. Click "Show" next to key1
4. Copy the Connection string (not just the key)

1. In Blober, go to Workflows => New Workflow
2. Select Azure Blob Storage as source or destination
3. Paste the connection string
4. Test the connection by browsing

• Make sure you copied the full connection string, including DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;...
• Don't copy the key alone. Blober needs the entire connection string

• Check the container name is correct (case-sensitive)
• Ensure the container exists in your storage account

• Archive tier has higher write latency, which is normal
• Consider uploading to Cool first, then using Azure Lifecycle Management to transition to Archive

• Use the Cool tier for data accessed less than once a month. It saves significantly over Hot
• Use the Archive tier, which has the lowest storage cost, for long-term backups you rarely need
• Set up Lifecycle Management rules to automatically transition blobs between tiers
• Monitor costs with Azure Cost Management

• Use SAS tokens with limited permissions and expiry instead of full account keys when possible
• Rotate access keys periodically
• Enable soft delete so you can recover accidentally deleted blobs
• Keep your connection string secure and never share it publicly

• Upload to Cool first and let lifecycle rules move blobs to Archive, which avoids Archive's high write latency
• Choose a storage account region close to your location for best transfer speeds
• Use LRS (Locally Redundant Storage) for cost savings when geo-redundancy isn't required

• Azure Storage Connection Strings
• Access Tiers Overview
• Azure Blob Storage Documentation
• Security Best Practices
• Set up Lifecycle management rules
• Azure Cost Management