How to Configure Azure Blob Storage
Last updated
Last updated
Approximate time to complete: 3 minutes, excluding prerequisites
This how to article provides step-by-step instructions for configuring Azure Blob Storage for use with a RAG pipeline.
Before starting, ensure you have access to the credentials, connection parameters, and API keys as appropriate for the following:
An Azure account (Create one free here ↗)
Go to the Azure Portal.
Click Storage accounts, then click + Create.
Select the subscription to use, then click Create new to create a resource group.
Name the resource group, then click OK.
Name the storage account, adjust your region if needed, and then click Review + create.
The storage account name must be unique across Azure.
Verify that everything looks correct, then click Create.
Your storage account will be created and deployed. Click Go to resource.
In the left-hand menu, select Data Storage, then Containers.
Click + Container.
Name the container, then click Create.
In the left-hand menu, select Security + Networking, then click Access keys.
Copy and securely save one of the access keys.
Go to your container in the storage account, then click Upload.
Select the files or folders you wish to upload, then click Upload.
Azure Blob Storage is flat, meaning it doesn't technically support hierarchical folders like a file system, but you can simulate a folder structure by including the folder path in the blob name.
Install the Azure CLI
Install the Azure CLI by following the instructions here.
Log In to Azure
Open your terminal and log in to your Azure account. This will open a web browser for you to sign in. Once signed in, the CLI will be authenticated.
Create a Folder in the Blob Container
Create a "folder" by uploading an empty blob or a file with a "folder-like" path.
Where:
container-name
Name of your container.
folder-name
Name of the folder to create.
storage-account-name
Name of your storage account.
If you provide the name of a real file, it will be uploaded to the folder. If the filename does not exit, an empty file with that name will be created.
Verify the Folder
After running the command, you can verify the folder-like structure by listing blobs in the container:
Example output:
