Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Practice Exam

Which service is used for scalable file storage in Azure?

1. Azure Files

2. Azure Blob Storage

3. Azure Queue Storage

4. Azure Table Storage

The correct answer is: Azure Files

Azure Files is the correct choice for scalable file storage in Azure. It provides fully managed file shares in the cloud that can be accessed via the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. This makes it suitable for a variety of applications and workloads that require traditional file system behavior, such as shared files available across multiple virtual machines. Azure Files supports the creation of file shares that can be mounted by Azure virtual machines or accessed through REST APIs, which enhances its scalability and flexibility. This service is particularly useful for scenarios such as application migration, backup and restore, and serving content to applications. In contrast, other options serve different purposes: Azure Blob Storage is designed for unstructured data storage and is typically used for storing large amounts of text or binary data such as images and videos. Azure Queue Storage is a messaging service for storing and retrieving messages, which makes it suitable for decoupling applications in microservices architectures. Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL store that provides highly available and durable key/attribute storage, ideal for structured data. Therefore, for scenarios specifically requiring scalable file storage, Azure Files is the optimal service to utilize.