azure-storage
microsoft/azure-skills
Azure Storage skill: Blob, File Shares, Queue, Table, and Data Lake with access tier guidance and lifecycle management
What is azure-storage?
Provides coding agents with reference knowledge and tooling for all five Azure Storage services: Blob Storage, File Shares, Queue Storage, Table Storage, and Data Lake. Covers storage account tiers (Standard/Premium), blob access tiers (Hot/Cool/Cold/Archive), redundancy options (LRS/ZRS/GRS/GZRS), and lifecycle management concepts. Includes MCP server commands for blob operations and CLI fallback commands, plus links to SDK quick-reference guides for Python, TypeScript, Java, and Rust.
- Lists and manages Azure storage accounts, containers, and blobs via MCP server commands or Azure CLI
- Guides selection between Blob Storage, File Shares, Queue Storage, Table Storage, and Data Lake
- Explains blob access tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive) and when to use each based on access frequency
- Compares storage account performance tiers (Standard vs Premium) and redundancy options (LRS, ZRS, GRS, GZRS)
- Provides CLI commands for uploading, downloading, and listing blobs and containers
- References SDK quick-start guides for Blob, Queue, File Share, Data Lake, and Table Storage across multiple languages
How to install azure-storage
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-storage- Azure subscription with at least one storage account
- Azure CLI installed and authenticated (for CLI fallback commands)
- Azure MCP server enabled for MCP tool commands (run /azure:setup or enable via /mcp)
- Skill installed via: npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-storage
How to use azure-storage
- 1.Install the skill using: npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-storage
- 2.Enable Azure MCP server via /azure:setup or /mcp for MCP tool access
- 3.Use the azure__storage MCP tool with command storage_account_list to list your storage accounts
- 4.Use storage_container_list and storage_blob_list to browse containers and blobs
- 5.Use storage_blob_get or storage_blob_put to download or upload blob content
- 6.If MCP is unavailable, fall back to az storage blob commands provided in the skill
- 7.Ask the agent to recommend the right blob access tier (Hot/Cool/Cold/Archive) based on your access patterns
- 8.Reference SDK guides for Python, TypeScript, Java, or Rust to build storage-integrated applications
Use cases
- Upload or download files and blobs to/from Azure Blob Storage
- Choose the right blob access tier to optimize storage costs
- Set up SMB file shares for lift-and-shift workloads using Azure Files
- Implement async task queues using Azure Queue Storage
- Analyze big data with hierarchical namespace storage via Azure Data Lake
- Developers building applications that read or write files to Azure Storage
- Cloud engineers designing storage architectures and selecting appropriate tiers
- DevOps engineers automating blob and container management via CLI or MCP
- Data engineers working with Azure Data Lake for analytics workloads
- Anyone evaluating Azure Storage redundancy options for durability requirements
azure-storage FAQ
Archive is for blobs accessed rarely (180+ days). It has the lowest storage cost but requires rehydration before access, which adds latency. Use Cool for 30+ day infrequent access and Cold for 90+ day rare access when immediate retrieval is still needed.
No. This skill covers Azure Storage services only. For Cosmos DB or SQL databases, use the azure-prepare skill instead.
No. Event Hubs and Service Bus are covered by the azure-messaging skill. Queue Storage (covered here) is for simple async task queues, not full messaging infrastructure.
GRS (16 nines durability) provides geo-redundant disaster recovery. GZRS combines zone and geo redundancy for the best overall durability. LRS is suitable for dev/test or easily recreatable data.
Both are supported. The MCP server (azure__storage tool) is preferred when Azure MCP is enabled. If not, the skill provides equivalent az storage CLI commands for all major blob and container operations.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from microsoft/azure-skills.
name: azure-storage description: "Azure Storage Services including Blob Storage, File Shares, Queue Storage, Table Storage, and Data Lake. Answers questions about storage access tiers (hot, cool, cold, archive), when to use each tier, and tier comparison. Provides object storage, SMB file shares, async messaging, NoSQL key-value, and big data analytics. Includes lifecycle management. USE FOR: blob storage, file shares, queue storage, table storage, data lake, upload files, download blobs, storage accounts, access tiers, storage tiers, hot cool cold archive, storage tier comparison, when to use storage tiers, lifecycle management, Azure Storage concepts. DO NOT USE FOR: SQL databases, Cosmos DB (use azure-prepare), messaging with Event Hubs or Service Bus (use azure-messaging)." license: MIT metadata: author: Microsoft version: "1.1.2"
Azure Storage Services
Services
| Service | Use When | MCP Tools | CLI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blob Storage | Objects, files, backups, static content | azure__storage | az storage blob |
| File Shares | SMB file shares, lift-and-shift | - | az storage file |
| Queue Storage | Async messaging, task queues | - | az storage queue |
| Table Storage | NoSQL key-value (consider Cosmos DB) | - | az storage table |
| Data Lake | Big data analytics, hierarchical namespace | - | az storage fs |
MCP Server (Preferred)
When Azure MCP is enabled:
azure__storagewith commandstorage_account_list- List storage accountsazure__storagewith commandstorage_container_list- List containers in accountazure__storagewith commandstorage_blob_list- List blobs in containerazure__storagewith commandstorage_blob_get- Download blob contentazure__storagewith commandstorage_blob_put- Upload blob content
If Azure MCP is not enabled: Run /azure:setup or enable via /mcp.
CLI Fallback
# List storage accounts
az storage account list --output table
# List containers
az storage container list --account-name ACCOUNT --output table
# List blobs
az storage blob list --account-name ACCOUNT --container-name CONTAINER --output table
# Download blob
az storage blob download --account-name ACCOUNT --container-name CONTAINER --name BLOB --file LOCAL_PATH
# Upload blob
az storage blob upload --account-name ACCOUNT --container-name CONTAINER --name BLOB --file LOCAL_PATH
Storage Account Tiers
| Tier | Use Case | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | General purpose, backup | Milliseconds |
| Premium | Databases, high IOPS | Sub-millisecond |
Blob Access Tiers
| Tier | Access Frequency | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Frequent | Higher storage, lower access |
| Cool | Infrequent (30+ days) | Lower storage, higher access |
| Cold | Rare (90+ days) | Lower still |
| Archive | Rarely (180+ days) | Lowest storage, rehydration required |
Redundancy Options
| Type | Durability | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| LRS | 11 nines | Dev/test, recreatable data |
| ZRS | 12 nines | Regional high availability |
| GRS | 16 nines | Disaster recovery |
| GZRS | 16 nines | Best durability |
Service Details
For deep documentation on specific services:
- Blob storage patterns and lifecycle -> Blob Storage documentation
- File shares and Azure File Sync -> Azure Files documentation
- Queue patterns and poison handling -> Queue Storage documentation
SDK Quick References
For building applications with Azure Storage SDKs, see the condensed guides:
- Blob Storage: Python | TypeScript | Java | Rust
- Queue Storage: Python | TypeScript
- File Shares: Python | TypeScript
- Data Lake: Python
- Tables: Python | Java
For full package listing across all languages, see SDK Usage Guide.
Azure SDKs
For building applications that interact with Azure Storage programmatically, Azure provides SDK packages in multiple languages (.NET, Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust). See SDK Usage Guide for package names, installation commands, and quick start examples.
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