Azure Blob

REST API at {account}.blob.core.windows.net. Resources: containers, blobs. PUT /{container}/{blob} uploads a blob (Content-Type header for MIME type; x-ms-blob-type: BlockBlob for standard files). GET /{container}/{blob} downloads a blob. DELETE /{container}/{blob} deletes a blob. GET /{container}?restype=container&comp=list lists blobs in a container (with prefix, delimiter for virtual folder structure). PUT /{container}?restype=container creates a container. Azure SDK (e.g., azure-storage-blob for Python) preferred over raw REST for correct auth header generation (HMAC signature complexity). SAS URLs bypass SDK auth requirements for simple access.

learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/storageservices/blob-service-rest-api provides the full REST API reference. Azure SDK documentation at learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs. Getting started requires an Azure account (free tier: 5GB Blob Storage). azure-storage-blob SDK for Python: pip install azure-storage-blob. Comprehensive tutorial library via Microsoft Learn. SAS token generation documented in detail. Community support via Microsoft Q&A, Stack Overflow (azure-blob-storage tag), and Azure support plans.

Three auth methods: (1) Storage account key: HMAC-SHA256 signature in Authorization header (complex to construct raw; use SDK). (2) SAS token: time-limited signed URL with specific permissions (read/write/delete/list) appended as query params — easiest for agent use. (3) Azure AD: OAuth2 Bearer token from service principal or managed identity via login.microsoftonline.com/token endpoint. Managed identity is recommended for Azure-hosted agents (no credential management). HTTPS enforced. Storage account keys provide full access — prefer SAS or managed identity in production.

Azure Blob Storage is the dominant object storage choice for Azure-native workloads — used for everything from application file storage to data lake foundations (Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 is built on Blob Storage). For agents running in Azure environments, Blob Storage is the canonical object store. REST API covers all blob operations; SDKs exist for Python, .NET, Java, JavaScript, Go, and C++. Key features: hot/cool/archive storage tiers (cost optimization), lifecycle management policies, versioning, soft delete, immutability policies, and Azure CDN integration. SAS tokens enable time-limited secure access without credential sharing. Confidence is docs-derived.

Standard HTTP status codes with XML error bodies (Code, Message). 404 for missing blob/container, 409 for container conflict (already exists), 403 for auth failure or insufficient SAS permissions, 412 for ETag mismatch (conditional operations). Retry behavior built into Azure SDK (exponential backoff on 5xx and 429). Eventual consistency for list operations in some scenarios. Azure Blob Storage SLA: 99.9% (locally redundant), 99.99% (geo-redundant read). Azure status at status.azure.com. Throughput scales with storage account (ingress/egress limits per account region).