AzCopy is like a file mover, letting you copy files between your Azure storage account and other storage accounts, your computer or other cloud providers.
Azure Storage Explorer is your file organiser for your Azure storage account, making it easy to manage files within your accounts. It's also more user-friendly than AzCopy.
Azure File Sync is a service that connects files stored in Azure Files with your local servers (Windows Servers), so you can access cloud files from on-premise servers.
In addition to large scale migration using services like Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box, Azure also has tools designed to help you move or interact with individual files or small file groups. Introducing AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync!
With AzCopy, you can upload, download and transfer files. The transferring part is really what makes AzCopy so handy - you can transfer files between your computer and your Azure storage accounts, between two Azure storage accounts, and even with other cloud providers (like AWS or Google Cloud Platform).
One thing to remember: when you transfer files with AzCopy, it's like a one-way street. You pick the source and the destination, and AzCopy moves your files in that direction.
AzCopy is a command-line tool, so there is no page for it in the Azure portal! This is what AzCopy looks like in action - it might be a bit intimidating if you're new to command line, but we promise you'll get the hang of it real soon. We'll dive deeper into what command line means later in the course.
Meet Azure Storage Explorer, your magic portal to manage files and blobs in your Azure storage account from your desktop! It works on different types of computers, like Windows, macOS, and Linux. With Storage Explorer, you can upload to Azure, download from Azure, or move between storage accounts.
You might be thinking: what's the difference between Storage Explorer and AzCopy?
*A graphical interface is like a picture-based way for people to use and control computer programs. Instead of typing commands in a command-line tool, you can click on pictures or buttons to do things on the computer. For example, the Azure portal is a graphical interface!
Remember Azure Files? As a quick refresher, Azure Files is a managed file share solution, making it easy to store and share files in the cloud.
Azure File Sync is a service that extends the capabilities of Azure Files to your on-premises environment*. This is especially important for large files and real-time collaboration.
*If you're not familiar with the term environment, no sweat! An on-premises environment is like having your own personal computer setup at home. It means that all your data and computer systems are physically located in your own building rather than being stored or managed in a remote data centre or the cloud.
In a practical scenario, a company with offices across the globe uses Azure File Sync to collaborate on large project files. They set up Azure Files to store all their files in the cloud, and Azure File Sync connects their on-premises Windows Servers to this file library. By having local copies of files on their on-premises servers, the company's employees experience minimal delays when accessing and working with the files.