2.4.1. 💡 First Principle: Azure Blob Storage

First Principle: Azure Blob Storage is a massively scalable object storage service for unstructured data. Its core purpose is to provide a cost-effective and durable solution for storing vast amounts of data like documents, images, videos, and backups.

What It Is: A service for storing large amounts of unstructured data (data that doesn't adhere to a particular data model or definition), such as text or binary data.

Key Concepts:

• Unstructured Data: Ideal for files that don't fit into a traditional database, like images, videos, audio files, logs, and backups.
• Access Tiers:
  • Hot: For frequently accessed data.
  • Cool: For infrequently accessed data (stored for at least 30 days).
  • Archive: For rarely accessed, long-term data with flexible retrieval times (stored for at least 180 days). This is the most cost-effective tier for storage.

Scenario: A media company needs to store its entire library of video files in the cloud. Some videos are popular and streamed frequently, while older videos are rarely accessed but must be kept for archival purposes.

Reflection Question: How could this media company use Blob Storage access tiers to optimize its storage costs while still meeting the access demands for both popular and archival content?

💡 Tip: Blob Storage is the go-to solution for storing any kind of file in Azure. Think of it as a limitless hard drive in the cloud.