How I Set Up Azure Storage for My First Public Website

Emmanuel Banjo — Sat, 02 May 2026 09:19:33 +0000

Introduction

I needed a place to store images and files for a website project. Azure Blob Storage turned out to be perfect. it's basically a file system in the cloud that anyone can access via a URL.
This guide shows you exactly how to set it up, make files publicly accessible, and add some safety features so you don't lose your work if something gets deleted.

Create the Storage Account

Search for Storage accounts in Azure Portal
Click + Create
Create a new resource group (name it something like website-storage)
Name your storage account publicwebsite plus some numbers (like publicwebsite2024)
Click Review then Create
Wait for deployment, then click Go to resource

Set Up High Availability

This makes sure your files are backed up in multiple locations.

Go to Data management → Redundancy
Select Read-access geo-redundant storage You'll see two locations: primary and secondary Now if one region goes down, your files are still available. Cool, right?

Allow Public Access

By default, storage is locked down. We need to open it up for public website files.

Go to Settings → Configuration
Turn on Allow Blob anonymous access
Click Save

Create Your Container

Containers are like folders that hold your files.

Go to Data storage → Containers
Click + Container
Name it public
Click Create

Make Files Publicly Accessible

Click on your public container
Click Change access level
Select Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only)
Click OK

Now anyone with the URL can view your files!

Upload and Test a File

In your container, click Upload
Choose any image or text file
Click Upload
After upload, click on your file
Copy the URL from the Overview tab
Paste it in a new browser tab If you see your file, it worked! 🎉

Set Up Soft Delete (The Undo Button)

This is like having a recycle bin. If you accidentally delete something, you can get it back for 21 days.

Go back to your storage account overview
Find Properties → Blob service section
Click Blob soft delete
Check Enable soft delete for blobs
Set it to 21 days
Click Save

Testing Soft Delete

Go to your container
Select a file and click Delete
Toggle Show deleted blobs (top right)
Select the deleted file
Click the three dots and choose Undelete

Your file is back!

Enable Versioning

This keeps a history of your file changes, like version control for your files.

Back in storage account Properties
Find Blob service → Versioning
Check Enable versioning for blobs
Click Save

Now when you upload a new version of a file, the old one is saved automatically.

You just set up cloud storage that's accessible from anywhere on the internet. This is the same technology that powers file hosting for major websites and apps.

One Important Warning
Since you made this publicly accessible, never upload sensitive information. Anything you put here can be accessed by anyone with the URL. No passwords, no private data, no confidential documents.

Got stuck anywhere? Drop a comment and I'll help you out. We're all figuring this stuff out together! Please like and share!!!

Setting Up Your First Azure Storage Account

Emmanuel Banjo — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:44:49 +0000

Introduction

Starting with Azure can feel overwhelming. There are so many options, settings, and configurations that it's hard to know where to begin. But here's the good news: setting up a storage account doesn't have to be complicated.
I recently went through the process of creating my first Azure Storage Account for a learning project, and I want to share what I learned. This guide will walk you through each step in plain language.
We'll create a storage account that's perfect for learning and testing i.e one that's secure, won't rack up unexpected charges, and follows good practices from the start. No prior Azure experience needed!

Step 1: Creating a Resource Group

What's a Resource Group?
Think of a resource group like a folder on your computer. Just like you'd put all your vacation photos in one folder, you put all your related Azure resources in one resource group. It makes everything easier to organize and manage.
The cool part? When you delete the resource group later, everything inside gets deleted too. No hunting down individual items. Perfect for learning projects!

Let's Create One quickly

Open the Azure Portal and type Resource groups in the search bar

Click the + Create button

Give it a simple name like my-storage-project or learning-storage
Pick a region (like East US or West Europe)just choose one close to you
Click Review and create

then Create

Creating Your Storage Account
Now let's create the actual storage account

Search for Storage accounts in the Azure Portal

Click + Create

Select the resource group you just created
Give your storage account a name (it needs to be unique across all of Azure, so try something like mystoragelearn123)
Keep Performance set to Standard (this is the cheaper option and perfect for learning)
Click Review + Create

Then Create

Wait a minute for it to deploy, then click Go to resource

Done! You now have your own storage account in the cloud.

Step 2: Choosing How Your Data is Stored

What's Redundancy?
When you store data in Azure, it automatically makes copies in case something goes wrong. The question is: how many copies do you need?

LRS **(Locally Redundant Storage): Makes 3 copies in one location - cheapest option
**ZRS, GRS, GZRS: More copies in more places - costs more money

For learning and testing, LRS is perfect. You save money and still have backup copies.

Setting it to LRS

In your storage account, find Data management on the left menu, then click Redundancy

Change the dropdown to Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
Click Save

That's it! You just cut your storage costs significantly.

Step 3: Making It Secure

Now let's make sure your storage is secure. Don't worry, it's just a few simple settings.

Use HTTPS (Keep Your Data Safe in Transit)
You want all your data to travel securely over the internet, like using HTTPS on a website.
- Go to Settings → Configuration
- Make sure Secure transfer required says Enabled

That's it. Now all your data travels encrypted.

Use Modern Security (TLS 1.2)
This is like saying "only let in people with new security badges,

not old ones that can be faked."
- Still in Settings → Configuration
- Check that Minimum TLS version is set to Version 1.2

Control Who Can Access It
If you're not using the storage right now, you can turn off access:
- In Settings → Configuration
- Find Allow storage account key access and set it to Disabled
- Click Save

You can always turn this back on when you need it.

Step 4: Allow Network Access

Go to Security + networking → Networking
Make sure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks
Click Save

Congratulations! You just set up your first Azure Storage Account. I know it might have seemed like a lot of steps, but you did it!

Did this guide help you? Drop a comment and let me know how your setup went! And if you got stuck anywhere, ask away. we're all learning together.

Helpful Links

What is Azure Storage? - Official Microsoft docs
Azure Free Account - Get free credits to practice with

Forem: Emmanuel Banjo

How I Set Up Azure Storage for My First Public Website

Introduction

Create the Storage Account

Set Up High Availability

Allow Public Access

Create Your Container

Make Files Publicly Accessible

Upload and Test a File

Set Up Soft Delete (The Undo Button)

Enable Versioning

Setting Up Your First Azure Storage Account

Introduction

Step 1: Creating a Resource Group

Step 2: Choosing How Your Data is Stored

Step 3: Making It Secure

Step 4: Allow Network Access

Helpful Links