copy-data-azcopy

Copy / migrate data with AzCopy

MS Learn module: Copy and move data with AzCopy · Learning objectives: use AzCopy to copy blobs/files/data in and out of storage accounts; use azcopy sync for incremental mirroring; authenticate with SAS or Microsoft Entra ID; perform large/folder transfers with resumable parallel copy.

Overview (why this module matters)

Getting data into (and between) storage accounts is a core admin daily task. AzCopy is the scriptable, high-throughput CLI for migration & continuous one-way sync, complementing the GUI Storage browser/Explorer. It pairs with this path’s security skills (SAS/keys/Entra auth).

Units / lessons covered

• Introduction to AzCopy / data-transfer options
• Install & auth AzCopy (SAS token, connection string, Entra/Azure AD login)
• azcopy copy — copy blobs/files to/from/within storage accounts (on-prem ↔ cloud, account ↔ account)
• azcopy sync — incremental one-way mirror (copies only differences)
• Folder/recursive + pattern-based transfers, resumable large transfers
• Use AzCopy inside Storage Explorer and with managed identity
• Knowledge check / Summary & resources

Concepts introduced (link each term note)

• azcopy — CLI data-copy/sync tool
• Storage Explorer / Storage browser — GUI companion, AzCopy integration
• Keys & connection strings and SAS for auth
• Blobs & file shares as copy targets
• (Optional) network rules — AzCopy with managed identity can bypass firewall if trusted services enabled

Key terms / commands

# install AzCopy (Linux) and log in with Azure AD
wget azurestorage.azureedge.net/azcopy-<ver>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz && tar zxvf ... && ./azcopy login
# copy local dir -> blob container (with SAS)
azcopy copy /data https://<account>.blob.core.windows.net/<container>/?<SAS> --recursive
# one-way incremental mirror cloud->local
azcopy sync https://<account>.blob.core.windows.net/<container>/?<SAS> /data --recursive

Hands-on / what to try

• Auth AzCopy with azcopy login (Entra) and with a SAS token; see how each works.
• Copy a folder into blob storage --recursive; run azcopy sync twice and watch it copy only differences the second time.
• Copy blobs between two storage accounts server-side.
• Open Storage Explorer and run an AzCopy-backed transfer from the GUI.

Exam focus

• azcopy copy = (re)copy; azcopy sync = incremental one-way mirror — pick sync for ongoing/mirror scenarios.
• Auth with Entra/Azure AD or SAS; keys/signature travel in the URI.
• Supports on-prem ↔ cloud, cloud ↔ cloud, resumable parallel, patterns/folders.
• Guard: when the account has a firewall, enable trusted Microsoft services for managed-identity AzCopy.

Related

Path MOC · azcopy · storage-browser · sas-token · storage-access-keys · blob-storage