How to Manage an Azure Queue Storage

Overview

Azure Queue Storage is a service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows you to store and manage messages in a queue. It is a simple and cost-effective way to decouple application components and enable asynchronous communication between them. Azure Queue Storage is commonly used for building scalable and resilient cloud applications that require processing of background tasks, handling workloads, and managing communication between different components.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the process of managing an Azure Queue Storage using both the Azure Portal and Azure CLI. We will cover the essential steps such as creating a queue, retrieving a queue, adding messages, reading messages, deleting messages, and finally, deleting a queue.

Step-by-Step Guide using Azure Portal and Azure CLI

a. Create a Queue

1. Azure Portal

• Log in to the Azure Portal with your credentials.
• In the left-hand menu, click on “Create a resource” and search for “Queue Storage.”
• Select “Queue Storage” from the search results, and then click “Create.”
• Provide the necessary details for the queue, such as the subscription, resource group, and storage account name.
• Choose the storage account’s performance and redundancy options based on your requirements.
• Click “Create” to create the queue storage.

1. Azure CLI

• Open the Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell on your local machine or use the Azure Cloud Shell.
• Use the following command to create a new storage account:
  bash az storage account create --name <storage_account_name> --resource-group <resource_group_name> --location <azure_region> --sku Standard_LRS
• Replace <storage_account_name>, <resource_group_name>, and <azure_region> with your desired values.
• Once the storage account is created, use the following command to create a new queue inside the storage account:
  bash az storage queue create --name <queue_name> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name> and <storage_account_name> with your desired queue name and storage account name.

b. Retrieve a Queue

1. Azure Portal

• In the Azure Portal, navigate to your storage account that contains the queue.
• Under the “Services” section, click on “Queues” to see a list of queues in the storage account.
• Select the desired queue from the list to view its properties and messages.

1. Azure CLI

• To retrieve the properties of the queue using Azure CLI, use the following command:
  bash az storage queue show --name <queue_name> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name> and <storage_account_name> with your queue name and storage account name.

c. Add a Message

1. Azure Portal

• In the Azure Portal, navigate to the storage account and then to the “Queues” section.
• Select the queue where you want to add a message.
• In the queue’s properties pane, click on “Add Message.”
• Enter the message content and any optional message attributes.
• Click “Save” to add the message to the queue.

1. Azure CLI

• To add a message to the queue using Azure CLI, use the following command:
  bash az storage message put --queue-name <queue_name> --content <message_content> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name>, <message_content>, and <storage_account_name> with your queue name, desired message content, and storage account name.

d. Read a Message

1. Azure Portal

• In the Azure Portal, navigate to the storage account and then to the “Queues” section.
• Select the queue from which you want to read a message.
• Click on the message you want to read to view its details.

1. Azure CLI

• To read a message from the queue using Azure CLI, use the following command:
  bash az storage message get --queue-name <queue_name> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name> and <storage_account_name> with your queue name and storage account name.

e. Delete a Message

1. Azure Portal

• In the Azure Portal, navigate to the storage account and then to the “Queues” section.
• Select the queue that contains the message you want to delete.
• Click on the message to view its details.
• In the message details pane, click on “Delete Message” to remove the message from the queue.

1. Azure CLI

• To delete a message from the queue using Azure CLI, use the following command:
  bash az storage message delete --queue-name <queue_name> --id <message_id> --popreceipt <message_pop_receipt> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name>, <message_id>, <message_pop_receipt>, and <storage_account_name> with the appropriate values. The <message_id> and <message_pop_receipt> can be obtained when you read the message.

f. Delete a Queue

1. Azure Portal

• In the Azure Portal, navigate to the storage account and then to the “Queues” section.
• Select the queue you want to delete.
• In the queue’s properties pane, click on “Delete.”

1. Azure CLI

• To delete the queue using Azure CLI, use the following command:
  bash az storage queue delete --name <queue_name> --account-name <storage_account_name>
• Replace <queue_name> and <storage_account_name> with your queue name and storage account name.

Summary

In this blog post, we have learned how to manage an Azure Queue Storage using both the Azure Portal and Azure CLI. We covered essential operations like creating a queue, retrieving a queue, adding messages, reading messages, deleting messages, and finally, deleting a queue. By leveraging Azure Queue Storage, you can enhance the scalability and reliability of your cloud applications by enabling asynchronous communication and decoupling components effectively. Happy queue management!