---
id: azure-storage-file
version: "2.1.0"
license: MIT License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# azure-storage-file — Microsoft Azure Storage File Client Library for Python

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 2.7M/mo

## What it is and what it does

azure-storage-file is a Python client library for Microsoft Azure Storage's file service, enabling programmatic management of file shares, directories, and files in the cloud. It abstracts the Azure Storage REST API into a straightforward Python interface, allowing you to create and delete shares, upload and download files, and perform directory operations without manually handling HTTP requests or authentication.

The package depends on azure-common and azure-storage-common for shared authentication and utility logic. It targets Python 2.7 and 3.3–3.7 and is distributed as a pure-Python wheel, making installation straightforward. However, the package has been dormant since August 2019 and is considered legacy; Microsoft has moved file storage functionality into the newer azure-storage-file-share package, which receives active maintenance.

Use it for:

- Upload and download files to Azure file shares from a Python application without writing REST API calls directly.
- Automate backup or archival workflows by programmatically creating shares and uploading batches of files to Azure Storage.
- Manage file share permissions and directory hierarchies in Azure Storage as part of infrastructure-as-code or deployment automation.
- Integrate Azure file storage into legacy Python applications that depend on the older azure-storage-file API.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a Python client library to create, read, update, and delete files and shares in Microsoft Azure Storage, with support for advanced file operations.

Yes, but with conditions. The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, making it safe for existing workloads already using it. However, do not adopt it for new projects—Microsoft has deprecated this package in favor of azure-storage-file-share, which receives active maintenance. If you are starting a new project, use the newer package instead. For legacy applications already depending on azure-storage-file, it remains functional and low-risk to keep installed.

## Install

pip install azure-storage-file
uv add azure-storage-file
poetry add azure-storage-file

## Installing azure-storage-file

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Maintenance is dormant—the package has not released since 2019-08-02, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2024-08-09. Suitable for stable, established workloads but not for projects requiring ongoing updates or bug fixes.

License in practice: MIT License (permissive) permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it safe to adopt in most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install azure-storage-file

from azure.storage.file import FileService

file_service = FileService(account_name='myaccount', account_key='mykey')
file_service.create_share('myshare')
file_service.create_file_from_text('myshare', None, 'myfile.txt', 'Hello World')

Requires an Azure Storage account with valid credentials (account name and key). This package is deprecated in favor of the newer azure-storage-file-share package.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package is still recommended for new projects or if migration to azure-storage-file-share is mandatory.
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.7, given the dormant maintenance status.
- Whether all advanced file operations mentioned in the description are fully functional in version 2.1.0.

## Package facts

- License: MIT License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 2.7M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

azure file storage client, azure files python sdk, azure share management, cloud file operations, azure storage file api, azure-cloud, deprecated, file-storage

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/azure-storage-file) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/azure-storage-file/)