Azure Table Storage
Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store provided by Microsoft Azure, designed to handle large volumes of structured data. It allows for the storage of massive quantities of semi-structured data, which can be accessed quickly and cheaply. Here's an overview of its key features, history, and context:
Overview
- Scalability: Azure Table Storage can scale out to billions of entities (rows) and trillions of attributes (columns).
- High Availability: Data is replicated three times within a region or across regions for durability and high availability.
- Schema-Less Design: Tables do not require a fixed schema, allowing for the storage of different types of data in the same table.
- Cost-Effective: It offers a pay-for-what-you-use model, making it cost-effective for large data sets.
History and Development
Azure Table Storage was introduced as part of the initial release of Windows Azure Platform in 2010. Here are some key milestones:
- 2010: Launched with the Windows Azure Platform, initially focusing on providing scalable cloud storage for web applications.
- 2012: Introduction of support for REST API, allowing for broader integration and access from various platforms.
- 2014: Added support for OData Protocol, which improved data querying capabilities.
- 2017: General availability of Azure Storage Explorer, enhancing management and interaction with Table Storage.
Core Concepts
- Partition Key: A property used to group entities for better performance and scalability.
- Row Key: A unique identifier for each entity within a partition.
- Entity: A row in the table with a set of properties.
- Table: A collection of entities, similar to a database table but without a fixed schema.
Usage
Azure Table Storage is used for:
- Storing large sets of structured data.
- Handling billions of key-value pairs or documents.
- Eventual consistency scenarios where immediate consistency is not critical.
- As a backend for applications that need scalable storage solutions.
Access and Integration
Developers can interact with Azure Table Storage through:
- Azure Storage SDK for .NET, Java, Python, Node.js, PHP, and Ruby.
- REST API for direct access.
- Azure Storage Explorer for graphical management.
External Links
Related Topics