Azure Storage File Share SDK for Python
Manage SMB file shares for cloud-native and lift-and-shift scenarios.
Installation
bash
pip install azure-storage-file-share
Environment Variables
bash
AZURE_STORAGE_CONNECTION_STRING=DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=...;AccountKey=... # Or AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_URL=https://<account>.file.core.windows.net
Authentication
Connection String
python
from azure.storage.fileshare import ShareServiceClient
service = ShareServiceClient.from_connection_string(
os.environ["AZURE_STORAGE_CONNECTION_STRING"]
)
Entra ID
python
from azure.storage.fileshare import ShareServiceClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
service = ShareServiceClient(
account_url=os.environ["AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_URL"],
credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
)
Share Operations
Create Share
python
share = service.create_share("my-share")
List Shares
python
for share in service.list_shares():
print(f"{share.name}: {share.quota} GB")
Get Share Client
python
share_client = service.get_share_client("my-share")
Delete Share
python
service.delete_share("my-share")
Directory Operations
Create Directory
python
share_client = service.get_share_client("my-share")
share_client.create_directory("my-directory")
# Nested directory
share_client.create_directory("my-directory/sub-directory")
List Directories and Files
python
directory_client = share_client.get_directory_client("my-directory")
for item in directory_client.list_directories_and_files():
if item["is_directory"]:
print(f"[DIR] {item['name']}")
else:
print(f"[FILE] {item['name']} ({item['size']} bytes)")
Delete Directory
python
share_client.delete_directory("my-directory")
File Operations
Upload File
python
file_client = share_client.get_file_client("my-directory/file.txt")
# From string
file_client.upload_file("Hello, World!")
# From file
with open("local-file.txt", "rb") as f:
file_client.upload_file(f)
# From bytes
file_client.upload_file(b"Binary content")
Download File
python
file_client = share_client.get_file_client("my-directory/file.txt")
# To bytes
data = file_client.download_file().readall()
# To file
with open("downloaded.txt", "wb") as f:
data = file_client.download_file()
data.readinto(f)
# Stream chunks
download = file_client.download_file()
for chunk in download.chunks():
process(chunk)
Get File Properties
python
properties = file_client.get_file_properties()
print(f"Size: {properties.size}")
print(f"Content type: {properties.content_settings.content_type}")
print(f"Last modified: {properties.last_modified}")
Delete File
python
file_client.delete_file()
Copy File
python
source_url = "https://account.file.core.windows.net/share/source.txt"
dest_client = share_client.get_file_client("destination.txt")
dest_client.start_copy_from_url(source_url)
Range Operations
Upload Range
python
# Upload to specific range file_client.upload_range(data=b"content", offset=0, length=7)
Download Range
python
# Download specific range download = file_client.download_file(offset=0, length=100) data = download.readall()
Snapshot Operations
Create Snapshot
python
snapshot = share_client.create_snapshot()
print(f"Snapshot: {snapshot['snapshot']}")
Access Snapshot
python
snapshot_client = service.get_share_client(
"my-share",
snapshot=snapshot["snapshot"]
)
Async Client
python
from azure.storage.fileshare.aio import ShareServiceClient
from azure.identity.aio import DefaultAzureCredential
async def upload_file():
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
service = ShareServiceClient(account_url, credential=credential)
share = service.get_share_client("my-share")
file_client = share.get_file_client("test.txt")
await file_client.upload_file("Hello!")
await service.close()
await credential.close()
Client Types
| Client | Purpose |
|---|---|
ShareServiceClient | Account-level operations |
ShareClient | Share operations |
ShareDirectoryClient | Directory operations |
ShareFileClient | File operations |
Best Practices
- •Use connection string for simplest setup
- •Use Entra ID for production with RBAC
- •Stream large files using chunks() to avoid memory issues
- •Create snapshots before major changes
- •Set quotas to prevent unexpected storage costs
- •Use ranges for partial file updates
- •Close async clients explicitly