Azure Storage Pricing: A Comprehensive Guide

‍Azure storage pricing forms the backbone of financial planning for cloud deployments. It encompasses various factors—from storage types like Blob, File, Table, and Queue storage to redundancy options such as LRS, ZRS, and GRS—influencing cost efficiency and performance.

Understanding these intricacies allows businesses to make informed decisions, balancing operational needs with budgetary constraints in Azure's dynamic cloud ecosystem.

Introduction to Azure Storage

Azure Storage is a cloud storage solution from Microsoft Azure. It provides scalable and secure storage services that can accommodate a wide variety of data types. It is a foundational service in the Azure ecosystem, offering flexibility, durability, and high availability for storing and accessing data over the Internet.

Azure Storage includes several storage services:

• Blob Storage: Optimal for storing large amounts of unstructured data like text or binary data, such as documents, media files, and backups.
• File Storage: Offers fully managed file shares in the cloud that can be accessed via the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.
• Queue Storage: Provides messaging capabilities between application components to facilitate communication and coordination.
• Table Storage: A NoSQL key-value store that can be used for structured data.
• Disk Storage: Offers managed disks for virtual machines, providing scalable and durable block storage.

Azure provides storage redundancy options to ensure data durability and availability, such as locally redundant storage (LRS), zone-redundant storage (ZRS), geo-redundant storage (GRS), and geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS).

Developers and IT professionals can manage Azure Storage resources through the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, Azure CLI, or programmatically via SDKs and REST APIs. Azure Storage's integration with other Azure services makes it a versatile solution for various cloud storage needs, from simple file storage to complex data analytics and archival solutions.

In the following sections, we will delve deeper into Azure Storage pricing and the factors that influence its cost.

Breakdown of Azure Storage Pricing

Azure Storage offers a range of services designed to meet diverse data storage needs in the cloud. Understanding the pricing structure is essential for effectively managing costs while leveraging the scalability and reliability of Azure Storage. 

Here’s a detailed breakdown of Azure Storage pricing components:

1. Storage Services and Tiers

Azure Storage supports several types of storage services, each with multiple tiers tailored to different data access patterns and cost requirements:

• Blob Storage: Ideal for storing large amounts of unstructured data like documents, images, videos, and backups. It offers three tiers: Hot, Cool and Archive.
• File Storage: Provides fully managed file shares in the cloud, accessible via the SMB protocol, suitable for applications that need shared file storage.
• Queue Storage: Offers messaging capabilities between application components, ensuring reliable message delivery and scale.
• Table Storage: A NoSQL key-value store designed for structured datasets requiring fast access and query capabilities.
• Disk Storage: Provides managed disks for virtual machines, offering scalable and durable block storage.

Each storage tier has different pricing based on data access frequency, retrieval times, and storage redundancy options.

2. Redundancy Options

Azure Storage offers various redundancy options to ensure data durability and availability:

• Locally Redundant Storage (LRS): Data is replicated within the same Azure data center, providing high durability.
• Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS): Data is replicated across multiple availability zones within a single region for enhanced availability.
• Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS): To protect against regional outages, data is replicated to a secondary region hundreds of miles away from the primary location.
• Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage (GZRS): Combines ZRS and GRS, replicating data across availability zones within the primary region and to a secondary region.

The choice of redundancy option affects pricing, with higher redundancy options typically incurring additional costs.

3. Data Transfer Costs

Azure Storage pricing includes data transfer costs for moving data into and out of Azure data centers:

• Inbound Data Transfer: Typically free of charge.
• Outbound Data Transfer: Charged based on the amount of data transferred out of Azure Storage to the internet and varies by region.

4. Operations and Transactions

Azure Storage pricing for operations performed on stored data:

• Reads and Writes: Costs are incurred for reading and writing data, with pricing varying by service and operation type (e.g., block blob operations versus table operations).
• List and Delete Operations: Additional charges apply to list objects or delete data.

5. Data Lifecycle Management

Implementing lifecycle policies can optimize storage costs by automatically moving or deleting data based on predefined rules:

• Cool and Archive Tiers: Policies can transition data between storage tiers based on access frequency and retention requirements.

6. Advanced Features and Premium Storage

Azure offers premium storage options for applications requiring high-performance storage with low latency and high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second). These premium offerings have higher associated costs than standard storage options.

7. Monitoring and Cost Management

Azure provides tools like the Azure Pricing Calculator and Azure Cost Management + Billing to estimate and monitor storage costs, helping organizations effectively manage and optimize their Azure Storage expenditures.

Understanding Azure Storage pricing ensures that organizations can choose the right storage options, optimize costs based on data access patterns, and effectively align storage strategies with business needs.

As mentioned, there are different types of Azure storage accounts; here are the pricing details of each. 

Azure Storage Pricing As Per Types

Azure Storage offers various pricing models tailored to different types of storage services, each detailed in the Azure Storage Pricing Guide.

1. Azure Blobs Storage Pricing

Azure Blob Storage is designed to store large amounts of unstructured data, such as images, videos, and documents. It provides different access tiers to optimize costs based on data access patterns.

Pricing Structure: Blob Storage pricing is determined by:

• Storage Capacity: Charges are based on the amount of data stored in Blob Storage.
• Access Tiers: Three tiers are available—hot, cool, and archive—each with different storage costs and fees for access and retrieval.
• Redundancy Options: Pricing varies depending on the redundancy level chosen, such as locally redundant storage (LRS), geo-redundant storage (GRS), and zone-redundant storage (ZRS).

Data Storage Prices

Below are the data storage prices for pay-as-you-go per GB per month, specific to the West US 2 region (GPv2 storage account) using a flat namespace file structure and common redundancy options (LRS, ZRS, and GRS):

Note: The cost fluctuates solely within the hot tier, depending on the volume of data stored.

Azure Reserved Storage Capacity

Azure Storage Reserved Capacity allows you to lower your data storage expenses by committing to one or three years of Azure Storage. You can purchase reserved capacity in increments of 100 TB or 1 PB with one or three-year commitment periods. The pricing provided is for a single month.

For 100 TB/month

For 1 PB/month

Early deletion penalties apply if a blob is overwritten, deleted, or moved to a different tier before the minimum retention period specified for that tier. Specific windows for early deletion penalties include:

• Blobs moved to the Archive tier can incur early deletion penalties within a 180-day window.
• Blobs in the Cold tier may be subject to early deletion penalties within a 90-day window.
• Blobs in the Cool tier could face early deletion penalties within a 30-day window.

For more detailed information, please visit this page.

Operations and Data Transfer Costs for LRS, ZRS, GRS

For Data Transfer: The table below displays archive tiers' ingress and egress costs and different blob storage redundancy options. (First 2 Rows)

For Operations: Azure charges separately for the following data operations, with pricing structured per 10,000 operations.

For LRS

For ZRS

For GRS

Blob Index

Blob Index is an advanced data sub-resource for blobs, providing automatically indexed user-defined key/value tag attributes for efficient querying. Below are the pricing details for the Blob Index across different redundancy options:

Block Blobs

Data is automatically duplicated to another Azure region when writing to a GRS, RA-GRS, GZRS, or RA-GZRS Azure storage account. The bandwidth necessary for this duplication is covered by the geo-replication data transfer fee. This fee is also applicable when modifying the storage account's replication setting, such as from LRS to GRS or RA-GRS or from ZRS to GZRS or RA-GZRS.

Other Features

In addition to the basic charges discussed above, Azure Blob Storage offers several additional pricing options:

Blob Inventory: Blob Inventory provides a comprehensive list of containers, blobs, blob versions, and snapshots within your storage account, along with corresponding properties. It generates daily or weekly reports in Apache Parquet or CSV formats, aiding organizations in efficient data asset tracking and management.

Blob Changes: Blob Change Feed maintains a persistent log of all changes to blobs within a storage account, including additions, updates, and deletions. This feature supports the development of event-driven architectures and real-time data change tracking. Initially disabled, it can be enabled at the storage account level to begin tracking blob modifications.

Encryption Scope: Azure Blob Storage offers robust encryption capabilities to enhance data security and meet regulatory requirements. Organizations can opt for server-side encryption with customer-managed keys (CMK) or Microsoft-managed keys (SSE) for comprehensive data encryption at rest and in transit.

Here are the related pricing details for each of these features: 

Azure Blob Storage stands out as a flexible and reliable solution for managing unstructured data in the cloud. With its scalability, robust security features, and flexible pricing options, businesses can confidently develop and deploy data-driven applications.

Please visit this page for detailed pricing options across all tiers and redundancies. 

2. Azure Files Storage Pricing

File Storage in Azure provides fully managed file shares accessible via the standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. It is suitable for applications requiring shared file storage in Windows and Linux environments.

Pricing Structure: File Storage pricing is determined by:

• Storage Capacity: Organizations are charged based on the amount of data stored in File Storage, measured in GB/month.
• Redundancy Options: Pricing varies depending on the chosen redundancy level.
• Data Transfer: Additional charges for data transfer between Azure regions or between Azure Storage and other Azure services may apply.

Data Storage Prices:

The table below displays the unit price per GiB of storage. Premium file shares are billed based on provisioned size regardless of capacity used, while standard file shares are billed based on consumption. Costs vary based on the selected redundancy option.

This pricing information is specific to the West US 2 region (GPv2 storage account) and includes the most common redundancy options (LRS, ZRS, and GRS):

The API's quota field specifies the provisioned size of a premium file share. If you decrease the provisioned share size below the amount of data stored (used GiB), you will be charged for the utilized GiB on premium shares. For more details, refer to the Provisioning of the Premium File Shares.

Additionally, this page provides information on the pricing of data storage for snapshots and metadata at rest.

Reservations

Azure Files Reservations allows you to lower your data storage costs by committing to a one-year or three-year subscription. Reservations can be purchased in quantities of 10 and 100 TiB per month for a one-year or three-year commitment. 

For 10 TiB/month

For 100 TiB/month

Operations and Data Transfer Costs for LRS, ZRS, GRS

Transaction fees apply to your Azure file share for both SMB and REST operations, including actions such as file reads and directory listings. These costs vary depending on the redundancy option you select. Below are the details of operations and data transfer pricing for the common redundancy options:

For LRS

For ZRS

For GRS

File Sync

Azure File Sync involves moving files from Windows servers to cloud-based Azure file shares. The overall cost of Azure File Sync services is determined by the number of servers connecting to the cloud endpoint (Azure file share) and the associated outbound data transfer and storage expenses for Azure Files.

The fixed monthly charge per server is as follows:

Azure Files provides scalable file shares accessible via the standard SMB protocol or REST API. Understanding Azure file pricing across various Azure storage account types is crucial for effective cost management.

3. Azure Tables Pricing

Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store designed for storing structured data in the cloud. It offers fast and scalable storage solutions for applications.

Pricing Structure: Table Storage pricing includes:

• Storage Capacity: Charges are based on the amount of data stored in Table Storage, measured in GB/month.
• Transaction Fees: Pricing is determined by the number of operations performed on tables, such as reads, writes, and deletes, measured in thousands or millions of transactions.
• Redundancy Options: Similar to other Azure Storage services, pricing may vary depending on the redundancy option chosen.

Data Storage (For tables encrypted with a service-scoped key):

Below is the pricing for Table Storage in the West US 2 region across different redundancy options:

Data Storage (For tables encrypted with a storage account-scoped key)

Azure Table Storage allows for data encryption at rest using a customer-managed key scoped to the storage account. 

Below is the pricing table for Table Storage in the West US 2 region across different redundancy options:

Operations and Data Transfer Prices

Understanding the pricing of Azure Table Storage across various Azure storage account types is essential for effective cost management and resource optimization.

4. Azure Queues Pricing

Queue Storage provides messaging services essential for building scalable and decoupled cloud applications. It enables asynchronous communication between application components, enhancing workload distribution and fault tolerance.

Pricing Structure: Queue Storage pricing considerations include:

• Storage Capacity: Organizations are charged based on the amount of data stored in Queue Storage, measured in GB/month.
• Transaction Fees: Pricing is determined by the number of queue operations measured in thousands or millions of transactions, such as enqueue and dequeue operations.
• Redundancy Options: Pricing may vary depending on the redundancy level chosen for Queue Storage.

Data Storage

Queue storage pricing for the West US 2 region across different redundancy options is as follows:

Operations and Data Transfer

General Purpose v2 provides Azure storage pricing optimized for the lowest GB storage costs. It offers access to the latest Azure storage capabilities, including Cool and Archive storage. These accounts support Files, Queues, Block Blobs, and Page Blobs.

Queue Storage Pricing:

Below is the Queue data storage pricing for the West US 2 region across different redundancy options:

Operations and Data Transfer

Note:

• Class 1 queue operations include CreateQueue, ListQueues, PutMessage, SetQueueMetadata, UpdateMessage, ClearMessages, DeleteMessage, DeleteQueue, GetMessageWrite, and GetMessagesWrite.
• Class 2 queue operations include GetMessage, GetMessages, GetQueueMetadata, GetQueueServiceProperties, GetQueueAcl, PeekMessage, PeekMessages, GetMessageRead, and GetMessagesRead.

For pricing information in other regions, please visit this page. 

5. Azure Disks Pricing

Azure Managed Disks offer high-performance, durable block storage designed for use with Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VMware Solution. They support various types of disk storage, including Standard HDD, Premium SSD, and Standard SSD.

Standard HDD: Standard HDD provides cost-effective block storage suitable for workloads requiring high-capacity storage. The pricing below is for the West US 2 region with LRS redundancy:

Azure Managed Disks Overview

Azure Managed Disks provide robust block storage solutions optimized for Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VMware Solutions. They come in several types tailored to different performance needs:

• Standard HDD: Cost-effective storage for workloads requiring high capacity and moderate performance. Pricing details are provided for the West US 2 region with LRS redundancy.
• Standard SSD: This balances cost and performance. It is suitable for workloads needing moderate performance and lower latency than HDDs. It is compatible with all Azure VM sizes.
• Premium SSD: High-performance SSD-based storage designed for workloads demanding high I/O throughput and low latency. It offers flexibility in disk size and performance parameters and includes options like Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks.

Pricing varies for all disk types based on factors such as redundancy options (LRS, ZRS, etc.), disk size, IOPS (input/output operations per second), throughput caps, and monthly pricing per gigabyte. For example, the 32 TiB P80 disk is the costliest option, at $3,276.80 monthly, with an additional $219 for each mount. Reservations can reduce costs for Premium SSDs, such as the P80 disk, which is reduced to $3,113 monthly with a one-year commitment.

Additional Resources

Refer to this page for specific pricing details on each Azure disk option across various redundancies. Understanding these pricing structures is crucial for cost management and resource optimization based on specific workload requirements. 

Prices are subject to change and may vary by Azure region, redundancy options, and SLAs. Use the Azure pricing calculator or official documentation for accurate and up-to-date pricing information.

Optimizing Azure Storage Cost With Lucidity

Optimizing Azure Storage costs is crucial for efficient cloud expense management. Traditional manual methods can be costly and inefficient, potentially reducing disk efficiency. This is where Lucidity steps in.

Lucidity Storage Audit conducts comprehensive audits to identify potential cost savings and prevent downtime. By automating disk health and utilization analysis it provides deep insights:

• Achieve up to 70% cost savings compared to current disk prices with optimized billing estimates.
• By actively monitoring costs and optimizing storage, you can reduce financial risk, prevent downtime, and safeguard your company's reputation.
• Eliminate wasted disk space for enhanced performance and optimal resource utilization.
• Gain detailed disk analysis and health information to minimize downtime and maximize savings.

With these insights, you can identify and remove idle resources to reduce costs and dynamically allocate resources to meet real-time needs.

In summary, Lucidity's storage audit tool continuously monitors Azure disk storage performance, optimizing resource efficiency and maximizing cost savings.

Effective cloud resource management hinges on auto-scaling. Lucidity's block storage auto-scaler offers autonomous storage orchestration, ensuring your applications can handle peak loads without unnecessary expenses during periods of low demand.

Key benefits of Lucidity's block storage auto-scaler include:

• Real-time scaling: Adjusts disk size in just 90 seconds to efficiently manage large data volumes.
• Cost savings: Monitors and adjusts block storage to prevent overspending, potentially saving up to 70% in storage expenses.
• Zero downtime: Streamlines resource management by automatically scaling resources without interruptions.

Lucidity's block storage auto-scaler optimizes storage performance, reduces costs, and maintains smooth cloud operations. Contact Lucidity for a demo to leverage these benefits and achieve significant savings on your Azure storage.

​​Navigating Azure Storage Pricing for Improved Cloud Economics

Navigating Azure storage pricing is essential for businesses aiming to balance cost efficiency with operational needs in the cloud. By comprehending the pricing structures across various Azure storage services—such as Blob Storage, File Storage, Table Storage, Queue Storage, and Managed Disks—organizations can make informed decisions to optimize resource utilization and minimize expenses.

Effective cost management involves selecting the right storage types and redundancy options and leveraging tools like Lucidity's Storage Audit and block storage auto-scaler to continuously monitor, analyze, and optimize storage usage. These tools empower businesses to identify potential savings, prevent downtime, and ensure optimal performance across their Azure environments.

As businesses evolve and scale in the cloud, it will be crucial to stay informed about updates in Azure pricing and adopt best practices for resource allocation and management. Utilizing tools and strategies that align with business objectives and growth plans will help maintain cost efficiency while supporting agile and resilient cloud operations.

By taking a proactive approach to understanding and managing Azure storage costs, businesses can position themselves to leverage the scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness that Azure cloud services offer, thereby driving greater business agility and competitiveness in today's digital landscape.