How to Save Byte Arrays to Azure Blob Storage: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Azure Blob Storage is a versatile and robust service offered by Microsoft Azure that allows developers to store large amounts of unstructured data. However, a common question that arises is how to save byte arrays, i.e., byte[], to Azure Blob Storage. This blog post will guide you through the process, providing practical examples and code snippets to help you understand and implement this functionality in your projects.

Saving Streams to Azure Blob Storage

Before we delve into saving byte arrays, it’s essential to understand how to save streams to Azure Blob Storage. Here’s a simple example of how you can save a stream:

// Retrieve reference to a blob named "myblob".
CloudBlockBlob _blockBlob = container.GetBlockBlobReference("SampleImage.jpg");

// Upload from Stream object during file upload
blockBlob.UploadFromStream(stream);

// Retrieve reference to a blob named "myblob".

CloudBlockBlob _blockBlob = container.GetBlockBlobReference("SampleImage.jpg");

// Upload from Stream object during file upload

blockBlob.UploadFromStream(stream);

In this example, we first retrieve a reference to a blob named “myblob”. We then upload data to this blob from a stream object.

Saving Byte Arrays to Azure Blob Storage

Now, let’s move on to the main topic of this blog post – saving byte arrays to Azure Blob Storage. You might want to do this for various reasons, such as creating thumbnails or performing image manipulation. Here’s how you can achieve this:

// Using the new SDK azure.storage.blob
var blobContainerClient = new BlobContainerClient(storageConnectionString, containerName);
BlobClient blob = blobContainerClient.GetBlobClient(blobName);

using(var ms = new MemoryStream(data, false))
{
     await blob.UploadAsync(ms);
}

// Using the new SDK azure.storage.blob

var blobContainerClient = new BlobContainerClient(storageConnectionString, containerName);

BlobClient blob = blobContainerClient.GetBlobClient(blobName);

using(var ms = new MemoryStream(data, false))

{

await blob.UploadAsync(ms);

}

In this example, we first create a BlobContainerClient and a BlobClient. We then create a MemoryStream from the byte array and upload it asynchronously to the blob.

Alternative Approach Using Streams

If you’re more comfortable working with streams, you can also save byte arrays to Azure Blob Storage using a similar approach:

//byte[] data;

using(var ms = new MemoryStream(data, false))
{
    blockBlob.UploadFromStream(ms);
}

//byte[] data;

using(var ms = new MemoryStream(data, false))

{

blockBlob.UploadFromStream(ms);

}

In this example, we simply create a MemoryStream from the byte array and upload it to the blob from the stream.

Creating a File from Byte Arrays

Another common use case is creating a file from byte arrays. Here’s a function that accomplishes this:

//CREATE FILE FROM BYTE ARRAY
public static string createFileFromBytes(string containerName, string filePath, byte[] byteArray)
{
    // Code omitted for brevity
}

//CREATE FILE FROM BYTE ARRAY

public static string createFileFromBytes(string containerName, string filePath, byte[] byteArray)

{

// Code omitted for brevity

}

This function takes a container name, a file path, and a byte array as parameters. It then creates a file from the byte array and saves it to Azure Blob Storage.

Conclusion

Saving byte arrays to Azure Blob Storage might seem daunting at first, but with the right knowledge and tools, it becomes a straightforward task. Whether you’re working with streams or byte arrays, Azure Blob Storage provides the flexibility and functionality you need to handle your data efficiently.

Remember, practice makes perfect. So, don’t hesitate to try out these examples and adapt them to your specific needs. Happy coding!