Microsoft stands out lately for its fantastic Azure Cloud suite. If you didn’t have the chance to try it out, let me tell you that it’s worth having a look at. Having said that, how does its storage service compares with other companies? Is it worth it? In the end, it all depends on your requirements, but while using it, I found out some pointers that might help you out to clarify these questions.

Disclaimer: Prices and features change all the time. Please let me know if there are any mistakes :)

Pros

Well put documentation , and quite easy to work with. It’s not as complete as Amazon AWS, but it’s enough to build around the API

, and quite easy to work with. It’s not as complete as Amazon AWS, but it’s enough to build around the API Pretty good prices (around 0,018 USD per GB/month) with the Hot class. Archive class price is one of the lowest in the industry (about 0,002 USD per GB/month)

(around 0,018 USD per GB/month) with the Hot class. Archive class price is one of the lowest in the industry (about 0,002 USD per GB/month) Different storage classes for each necessity : Hot (frequent use), Cool (infrequent use) and Archive (long-term storage)

: Hot (frequent use), Cool (infrequent use) and Archive (long-term storage) High durability. Microsoft Azure Blob Storage provides 99.99999999999999% (16 9’s) of durability of objects over a given year with the default replication strategy: RA-GRS. This percentage beats every single provider from the list

Microsoft Azure Blob Storage provides 99.99999999999999% (16 9’s) of durability of objects over a given year with the default replication strategy: RA-GRS. This percentage beats every single provider from the list Downloading data from the Hot class it’s completely free . This is a fantastic deal if you fetch files frequently

. This is a fantastic deal if you fetch files frequently Many different Storage options depending on your needs : Blob, Archive, Queue, File or Disk

: Blob, Archive, Queue, File or Disk You receive $200 to use in Microsoft Azure services after you enroll (within 30 days) and during 12 months in selected services

Cons

To get direct support, you need to purchase a support plan starting from 29 USD per month.

Prices in other providers like Backblaze B2 are cheaper (around 0.005 USD per GB/month) for Standard access

(around 0.005 USD per GB/month) for Standard access All the different storage options end up being confusing. It’s not straight-forward for a beginner to know when to use Blob service over File service, for example. In my opinion, Amazon AWS and Google Cloud Storage do a better job explaining and simplifying the offering

All right, that’s cool, but why should I use it over the competition?

If you are heavily invested in Microsoft Azure Cloud and use its resources to build your infrastructure, it’s almost a must and worth it!

and use its resources to build your infrastructure, it’s almost a must and worth it! If you are a company that values what Microsoft brings to the table (brand, stability, decades of experience)

(brand, stability, decades of experience) If you don‘t mind to pay the support fee every month , it’s also a good option as their customer care is high quality and have local support in many countries

, it’s also a good option as their customer care is high quality and have local support in many countries If you download big files frequently (it’s free in the Hot class), y ou can save quite a bit of money with Microsoft Azure in comparison with other providers

ou can save quite a bit of money with Microsoft Azure in comparison with other providers If you are a company with enterprise requirements (e.g., SLAs, SSO…), Microsoft might be the best option as their enterprise-ready solutions are mature and they base most of their offering in big customers

How to use it with Javascript

How to install the library

npm install azure-storage

2. How to Authenticate

3. How to create a Bucket

4. How to delete a Bucket

5. How to upload a File

6. How to download a File

7. How to delete a File

8. How to list all files in a Bucket