What is Azure Container Storage?
Azure Container Storage is a cloud-native storage service specifically designed for Kubernetes workloads. The service uses local NVMe disks from Azure hosts for low latency and high IOPS. Container Storage unifies block storage from various backing types (Azure Disks, Ephemeral, Elastic SAN) under a unified Kubernetes interface.
Core Features
- Kubernetes-native Persistent Volumes with CSI driver
- NVMe performance with local disks for latency-critical workloads
- Storage Pools for efficient resource utilization
- Snapshots and volume cloning for DevOps workflows
- Integration with Azure Monitor for storage metrics
Typical Use Cases
Databases on Kubernetes use Container Storage for consistent low latency. Stateful microservices store session data persistently. CI/CD workloads use fast ephemeral volumes for build caches.
Benefits
- Significantly higher IOPS than traditional Azure Disks
- Unified storage layer for different backing types
- Kubernetes-native integration without custom configuration
- Optimized for AKS with simple activation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Container Storage and Azure Disks?
Azure Disks are individual managed disks attached to VMs. Container Storage is a storage layer specifically for Kubernetes with storage pools, NVMe support, and more efficient resource management for containerized workloads.
Which backing storage types does Container Storage support?
Container Storage supports Azure Disks (Standard and Premium), local NVMe disks (Ephemeral), and Azure Elastic SAN. You can define different storage classes for different workload requirements.
Is Container Storage only available for AKS?
Container Storage is optimized for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and is easiest to activate there. However, it can also be used with other Kubernetes distributions running on Azure.
How high are the IOPS with Container Storage?
With local NVMe disks, Container Storage achieves significantly higher IOPS than Azure Premium Disks. Exact values depend on node size but can reach several hundred thousand IOPS.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with Azure Container Storage: sizing for database workloads, performance optimization, and migration from existing storage solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Container Storage and Azure Disks?
Azure Disks are individual managed disks attached to VMs. Container Storage is a storage layer specifically for Kubernetes with storage pools, NVMe support, and more efficient resource management for containerized workloads.
Which backing storage types does Container Storage support?
Container Storage supports Azure Disks (Standard and Premium), local NVMe disks (Ephemeral), and Azure Elastic SAN. You can define different storage classes for different workload requirements.
Is Container Storage only available for AKS?
Container Storage is optimized for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and is easiest to activate there. However, it can also be used with other Kubernetes distributions running on Azure.
How high are the IOPS with Container Storage?
With local NVMe disks, Container Storage achieves significantly higher IOPS than Azure Premium Disks. Exact values depend on node size but can reach several hundred thousand IOPS.
