How to Enable Anonymous Access to Blob Container in Azure Storage

Question

How can I enable anonymous access to a blob container in Azure Storage, and what steps should I take if anonymous access is not permitted on my storage account?

PS - Based on common issues that we have seen from customers and other sources, we are posting these questions to help the Azure community.

Answer 1

If you need to enable anonymous access to a blob container in Azure Storage, you might encounter an issue where public access is not permitted on your storage account. This can happen due to specific settings or policies applied to your account.

In such cases where anonymous access is not allowed, a recommended solution is to use a Shared Access Signature (SAS). A SAS provides secure delegated access to resources in your storage account, allowing you to control how clients access your data. Here’s how you can proceed:

Generate a Shared Access Signature (SAS):

• A SAS token can be created via the Azure portal, Azure Storage Explorer, or programmatically using Azure SDKs.
  • When creating a SAS, you can specify the permissions(e.g,read,write) start and expiry time, and the IP range from which the resources can be accessed.
  Apply the SAS Token to the Blob URL:

- Once generated, append the SAS token to the blob URL. This URL can then be shared with clients who need access.

**Test the SAS Token**:

   - Ensure that the SAS token works as expected by accessing the blob URL with the token appended.

   **Adjust Permissions and Settings as Necessary**:

   - If specific issues arise, review the permissions and settings of the SAS token to ensure they align with your access requirements.

   Using a SAS token offers a secure way to grant access without enabling public access at the storage account level, which can help maintain security while meeting your access needs.

For more detailed steps and best practices on using SAS, you can refer to the official documentation: Best practices when using SAS.

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