Azure Files & Table Storage
Azure Files replaces your traditional file server. Azure Table Storage gives you a simple key-value store. Both live inside a storage account alongside Blob Storage.
Two more storage services
Azure Files is a shared network drive in the cloud. Azure Table Storage is a giant lookup table.
Think of Azure Files as the shared drive your team maps to their computers — everyone can read and write files. Azure Table Storage is more like a phone book — you look up a name (key) and get back their details (value). Both live in the same Azure storage account as Blob Storage.
Azure Files
Azure Files provides managed file shares that can be mounted on Windows, macOS, and Linux — just like mapping a network drive.
Tom’s scenario: Pacific Freight has an on-premises file server where drivers upload delivery photos and dispatchers access route documents. Azure Files replaces it:
- Drivers upload photos from their tablets via SMB
- Dispatchers access the same files from their desktops
- The file share is backed up automatically
- No physical server to maintain
Key features:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Protocols | SMB 3.0 (Windows, macOS, Linux) and NFS (Linux) |
| Mounting | Map as a network drive on any OS |
| Identity | Supports Entra ID (Azure AD) authentication |
| Tiers | Premium (SSD), Transaction optimised, Hot, Cool |
| Backup | Azure Backup integration for snapshot-based recovery |
| Sync | Azure File Sync caches files on local servers for hybrid scenarios |
When to use Azure Files:
- Replace on-premises file servers
- Share configuration files across multiple VMs
- Lift-and-shift applications that expect file system access (SMB)
- Shared storage for containerised applications
Azure Table Storage
Azure Table Storage is a simple NoSQL key-value store for semi-structured data. Each row (entity) has a partition key, row key, and a set of properties that can vary between entities.
Aisha’s example: Her food app stores device settings for each user:
| PartitionKey | RowKey | Theme | Notifications | LastOrder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| auckland-uni | aisha-001 | dark | true | 2026-04-20 |
| auckland-uni | liam-002 | light | false | — |
Different entities can have different properties — Liam doesn’t have a LastOrder value. The combination of PartitionKey + RowKey uniquely identifies each entity.
Key features:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Data model | Key-value with flexible properties per entity |
| Access | OData protocol and REST API |
| Schema | Schemaless — each entity can have different properties |
| Scale | Petabytes of data, billions of entities |
| Cost | Very low — fraction of a cent per GB per month |
When to use Table Storage:
- Device or user configuration data
- Simple metadata lookups (not complex queries)
- High-volume, low-complexity data (IoT device registry)
| Feature | Azure Files | Azure Table Storage | Azure Blob Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it stores | Files in a shared folder | Key-value entities (NoSQL) | Any file (objects/blobs) |
| Access method | SMB/NFS mount | REST API, OData | REST API, SDKs, URLs |
| Best for | Replacing file servers, shared drives | Simple lookups, device config | Massive unstructured data, data lakes |
| Schema | File system (folders, files) | Flexible (key + properties) | None (binary objects) |
| Query capability | Browse folders, file names | Filter by partition/row key | Metadata only (not content) |
Table Storage vs Cosmos DB Table API
Azure Table Storage and Azure Cosmos DB both offer a Table API. The key differences:
- Table Storage: Simple, very cheap, limited query capabilities, single-region
- Cosmos DB Table API: More features (global distribution, guaranteed latency, automatic indexing), higher cost
If your app starts with Table Storage and needs more capabilities later, you can migrate to Cosmos DB Table API with minimal code changes.
Exam tip: picking the right storage service
The exam gives you storage scenarios. Quick decision guide:
- “Applications need to mount a shared drive” → Azure Files
- “Simple key-value lookups for configuration” → Azure Table Storage
- “Store images, videos, or large binary files” → Azure Blob Storage
- “Replace an on-premises file server” → Azure Files
- “IoT device registry with flexible properties” → Azure Table Storage
Flashcards
Knowledge check
Pacific Freight needs drivers to upload delivery photos from tablets and dispatchers to access the same files from desktop computers. The current on-premises file server is being retired. Which Azure service replaces it?
Aisha's app needs to store per-user settings (theme preference, notification toggle, language). Each user may have different settings. Reads are simple lookups by user ID. Which service is MOST cost-effective?
Next up: Azure Cosmos DB: The Global Database — the multi-model, globally distributed NoSQL database.