Azure Storage provides different storage tiers to help customers optimize their storage costs and performance based on their workload requirements. There are four main storage tiers offered by Azure Storage:
- Hot tier: This is the default storage tier for Azure Storage and is optimized for frequently accessed data. It provides the highest performance and availability for storage and is suitable for workloads that require low-latency access to data. The Hot tier is also the most expensive of all the tiers.
- Cool tier: The Cool tier is optimized for infrequently accessed data that needs to be stored for at least 30 days. It provides a lower cost per GB of storage compared to the Hot tier but has a slightly longer access time. The Cool tier is suitable for workloads that require less frequent access to data.
- Archive tier: The Archive tier is designed for long-term data retention and is optimized for data that is rarely accessed and stored for at least 180 days. It provides the lowest cost per GB of storage compared to the Hot and Cool tiers but has the longest access time. The Archive tier is suitable for workloads that require infrequent access to data for compliance and regulatory purposes.
- Premium tier: The Premium tier is optimized for high-performance workloads that require low-latency access to data. It provides higher throughput and IOPS compared to the Hot tier and is suitable for workloads that require the highest performance and reliability.
Customers can move their data between different storage tiers to optimize their storage costs based on their workload requirements. For example, they can move infrequently accessed data to the Cool or Archive tier to reduce storage costs, while frequently accessed data can be stored in the Hot or Premium tier for optimal performance. Azure Storage also provides lifecycle management policies that can be used to automatically move data between storage tiers based on access patterns and retention policies.
Azure Storage provides a range of storage tiers to help customers optimize their storage costs and performance based on their workload requirements. Customers can choose the storage tier that best meets their needs based on the access patterns and retention policies of their data.
Azure Storage Tiers with Usage Examples
Here’s a more detailed explanation of each Azure Storage tier, along with some examples of when to use each tier:
- Hot tier: The Hot tier is designed for frequently accessed data and provides the highest performance and availability of all the tiers. This tier is ideal for applications that require low-latency access to data and high-performance computing, such as transactional databases, real-time analytics, and content delivery networks. The Hot tier is also suitable for virtual machines that require fast access to their operating system disks.
- Cool tier: The Cool tier is optimized for infrequently accessed data that needs to be stored for at least 30 days. This tier provides a lower cost per GB of storage compared to the Hot tier but has a slightly longer access time. The Cool tier is ideal for data that is accessed less frequently but still needs to be readily available when required, such as backup and disaster recovery data, archival data, and compliance and regulatory data.
- Archive tier: The Archive tier is designed for long-term data retention and is optimized for data that is rarely accessed and stored for at least 180 days. This tier provides the lowest cost per GB of storage compared to the Hot and Cool tiers but has the longest access time. The Archive tier is ideal for data that is seldom accessed, such as regulatory and compliance data, research and development data, and historical data.
- Premium tier: The Premium tier is designed for high-performance workloads that require low-latency access to data. This tier provides higher throughput and IOPS compared to the Hot tier and is ideal for applications that require the highest performance and reliability, such as high-performance computing, virtual machines that require fast access to their data disks, and databases that require fast access to their transaction logs.
Here are some usage examples for each Azure Storage tier:
- Hot tier: A customer who runs a high-traffic e-commerce website with a transactional database would benefit from using the Hot tier. The Hot tier would provide fast access to frequently accessed data, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers.
- Cool tier: A customer who needs to store backup and disaster recovery data that is accessed infrequently but needs to be readily available when required would benefit from using the Cool tier. This would provide a lower cost per GB of storage and ensure that data is available when needed.
- Archive tier: A customer who needs to store historical data, regulatory and compliance data, or research and development data would benefit from using the Archive tier. This would provide the lowest cost per GB of storage and ensure that data is preserved for long-term retention.
- Premium tier: A customer who runs a high-performance computing workload or a database that requires fast access to its transaction logs would benefit from using the Premium tier. This would provide higher throughput and IOPS compared to the Hot tier, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
