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Azure Blob Storage Tiers Overview

Jan 31 2023
Azure Azure Blobs Blob Storage Cloud Computing Storage Accounts
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cloud storage tiering

Azure Blob Storage Tiers Overview

Azure Blob storage has several storage tiers that offer different performance and cost characteristics. The storage tiers available are:

  1. Hot: This tier is for frequently accessed data that needs to be immediately available. It is the most expensive option, but also the fastest.

  2. Cool: This tier is for data that is infrequently accessed, but still needs to be quickly available. It is less expensive than the hot tier, but still has good performance.

  3. Archive: This tier is for data that is rarely accessed and can take several hours to retrieve. It is the least expensive option, but also the slowest.

  4. Premium storage : this tier is for high-performance data storage for I/O-intensive workloads such as big data analytics, large-scale databases, and large-scale applications.

Customers can move data between these tiers based on their access patterns, which can help reduce costs while still meeting performance requirements.

It’s also worth mentioning that Azure Blob storage also offers the option of using the “Static Website” feature which allows you to host a static website directly out of a container in the blob storage, this feature is available in the Hot, Cool and Archive tiers.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Hot Tier?

Optimized for High Performance and Low Latency

hot storage tier

Azure Blob Storage Hot Tier is a storage tier that provides immediate access to frequently accessed data. It is optimized for high performance and low latency and is designed for workloads that require fast and frequent access to data. The Hot tier is the most expensive option among the storage tiers, but it also provides the best performance and lowest retrieval times.

Data stored in the Hot tier is automatically replicated to ensure high availability and durability, and it can be accessed using the Azure Blob Storage API, Azure File Storage API, or Azure Data Lake Storage API.

Use cases for the Hot tier include:

  • Media streaming, such as video and audio.
  • Backup and disaster recovery, to quickly restore data in case of an outage.
  • Big Data analytics, where fast access to data is crucial for real-time insights.
  • High-performance computing, such as simulations and modeling.

It’s important to note that the Hot tier has additional charges per access and retrieval, so it’s important to evaluate if the cost is justified by the access and retrieval patterns of the data.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Cold Tier?

Optimized for Lower Cost

Azure Blob Storage Cold Tier is a storage tier that provides lower-cost storage for data that is infrequently accessed. It is designed for workloads that require quick access to data, but at a lower cost than the Hot tier. The Cold tier is less expensive than the Hot tier, but it also has slightly higher retrieval times.

Data stored in the Cold tier is also automatically replicated to ensure high availability and durability, and it can be accessed using the Azure Blob Storage API, Azure File Storage API, or Azure Data Lake Storage API.

Use cases for the Cold tier include:

  • Archival data, such as backups and historical records.
  • Data that is only accessed occasionally, such as log files or backups of production data.
  • Cold data analytics, where the data is used occasionally for reporting or analytics.

It’s important to note that the Cold tier has additional charges per retrieval, so it’s important to evaluate if the cost is justified by the access and retrieval patterns of the data. In addition, data retrieval times may be longer for Cold Tier, so it’s important to consider the retrieval time requirement for your use case before choosing this tier.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier?

Optimized for Long-Term Retention and Lowest Cost

Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier is a storage tier that provides the lowest-cost storage for data that is infrequently accessed and can tolerate retrieval times of several hours. It is designed for workloads that require long-term retention of data, but at a lower cost than the Hot or Cold tiers. The Archive tier is the least expensive option among the storage tiers, but it also has the longest retrieval times.

Data stored in the Archive tier is also automatically replicated to ensure high availability and durability, and it can be accessed using the Azure Blob Storage API, Azure File Storage API, or Azure Data Lake Storage API.

Use cases for the Archive tier include:

  • Compliance and regulatory data, such as financial records or legal documents that need to be retained for long periods of time.
  • Data that is rarely accessed, such as historical records or old backups.
  • Cold data analytics, where the data is used occasionally for reporting or analytics.

It’s important to note that the Archive tier has additional charges per retrieval, so it’s important to evaluate if the cost is justified by the access and retrieval patterns of the data. In addition, data retrieval times may be longer for Archive Tier, up to several hours, so it’s important to consider the retrieval time requirement for your use case before choosing this tier.

Azure Blob Storage Tiering FAQ

What are the different storage tiers offered by Azure Blob Storage? 

Azure Blob Storage offers four different storage tiers: Hot, Cool, Archive, and Premium. Each tier offers different performance and cost characteristics, and customers can move data between tiers based on their access patterns.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Hot Tier used for? 

The Hot tier is optimized for high performance and low latency and is designed for workloads that require fast and frequent access to data, such as media streaming, backup and disaster recovery, big data analytics, and high-performance computing.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Cold Tier used for? 

The Cold tier provides lower-cost storage for data that is infrequently accessed and is designed for use cases such as archival data, occasional data access, and cold data analytics.

What is the Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier used for? 

The Archive tier provides the lowest-cost storage for data that is infrequently accessed and can tolerate retrieval times of several hours. It is designed for long-term retention of data, such as compliance and regulatory data.

Can I move data between storage tiers in Azure Blob Storage? 

Yes, customers can move data between storage tiers in Azure Blob Storage based on their access patterns, which can help reduce costs while still meeting performance requirements.

Can I access data stored in Azure Blob Storage using different APIs?

Yes, data stored in all storage tiers in Azure Blob Storage can be accessed using the Azure Blob Storage API, Azure File Storage API, or Azure Data Lake Storage API.

Azure Blob Storage Tiering Best Practices

To make the most of Azure Blob Storage tiering, it’s important to follow best practices. Before choosing a storage tier, it’s important to understand how your data will be accessed. Frequently accessed data should be stored in higher-performance tiers, while infrequently accessed data can be stored in lower-performance tiers. Azure Blob storage is a great choice for unstructured data such as images, videos, and audio files. Consider enabling tiering on your storage accounts to automatically move data to the appropriate tier based on access patterns. Monitor storage metrics such as ingress, egress, and storage transactions to ensure that your storage is being used efficiently and to identify any potential issues. Finally, consider data retention policies to determine how long you need to keep data and configure the appropriate tier to meet your data retention requirements.

Understand your data access patterns:

Before choosing a storage tier, it’s important to understand how your data will be accessed. Frequently accessed data should be stored in higher-performance tiers, while infrequently accessed data can be stored in lower-performance tiers.

Use Azure Blob storage for unstructured data:

Azure Blob storage is a great choice for unstructured data, such as images, videos, and audio files, as it can handle large amounts of unstructured data efficiently.

Use Azure Files for SMB Protocol access to Azure Blob data:

Azure Files allows you to access your data using the SMB protocol, making it easy to share data between on-premises and Azure resources.

Enable tiering:

Enable tiering on your storage accounts to automatically move data to the appropriate tier based on access patterns.

Monitor storage metrics:

Monitor storage metrics, such as ingress, egress, and storage transactions, to ensure that your storage is being used efficiently and to identify any potential issues. Also monitor how much storage you are using by utlising one of the many reports in Cloud Storage Manager

Consider data retention policies:

Consider data retention policies to determine how long you need to keep data and configure the appropriate tier to meet your data retention requirements.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your Azure storage tiering solution is efficient, effective, and cost-optimized.

Azure Blob Storage Tiering Summary

In summary of the Azure Blob Storage Tiers:

  1. Hot Tier: Optimized for high performance and low latency, designed for frequently accessed data that needs to be immediately available. It is the most expensive option but also the fastest.

  2. Cool Tier: Optimized for lower cost, designed for infrequently accessed data that still needs to be quickly available. It is less expensive than the Hot tier but still has good performance.

  3. Archive Tier: Optimized for long-term retention and lowest cost, designed for rarely accessed data that can tolerate retrieval times of several hours. It is the least expensive option but also the slowest.

  4. Premium storage: Optimized for high-performance data storage, designed for I/O-intensive workloads such as big data analytics, large-scale databases, and large-scale applications.

Each tier has its own pricing structure, with the Hot and Premium storage having additional charges per access and retrieval, the Cool and Archive have additional charges per retrieval. It’s important to evaluate the access and retrieval patterns of your data and choose the appropriate tier that meets your performance and cost requirements.

Hopefully this now explains Azure Storage Tiering and its various possible use cases. If you are using Azure Storage now and are uncertain what lies with in each storage account, if they are even being used and how you can save money and reduce your Azure Storage Costs, download Cloud Storage Manager which provides you with analytics on your storage accounts.

by Mark