Manage directories and files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 via the Azure CLI

Article
04/10/2023

This article shows you how to use the Azure CLI to create and manage directories and files in storage accounts that have a hierarchical namespace.

To learn about how to get, set, and update the access control lists (ACL) of directories and files, see Use Azure CLI to manage ACLs in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.

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Prerequisites

An Azure subscription. For more information, see Get Azure free trial.
A storage account that has hierarchical namespace enabled. Follow these instructions to create one.
Azure CLI version 2.6.0 or higher.

Ensure that you have the correct version of Azure CLI installed

Open the Azure Cloud Shell, or if you've installed the Azure CLI locally, open a command console application such as Windows PowerShell.
Verify that the version of Azure CLI that have installed is 2.6.0 or higher by using the following command.
```
 az --version
```
If your version of Azure CLI is lower than 2.6.0, then install a later version. For more information, see Install the Azure CLI.

Connect to the account

If you're using Azure CLI locally, run the login command.
```
az login
```
If the CLI can open your default browser, it will do so and load an Azure sign-in page.

Otherwise, open a browser page at https://aka.ms/devicelogin and enter the authorization code displayed in your terminal. Then, sign in with your account credentials in the browser.

To learn more about different authentication methods, see Authorize access to blob or queue data with Azure CLI.
If your identity is associated with more than one subscription, then set your active subscription to subscription of the storage account that will host your static website.
```
az account set --subscription <subscription-id>
```
Replace the <subscription-id> placeholder value with the ID of your subscription.

Note

The example presented in this article show Microsoft Entra authorization. To learn more about authorization methods, see Authorize access to blob or queue data with Azure CLI.

Create a container

A container acts as a file system for your files. You can create one by using the az storage fs create command.

This example creates a container named my-file-system.

az storage fs create -n my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Show container properties

You can print the properties of a container to the console by using the az storage fs show command.

az storage fs show -n my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

List container contents

List the contents of a directory by using the az storage fs file list command.

This example lists the contents of a container named my-file-system.

az storage fs file list -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Delete a container

Delete a container by using the az storage fs delete command.

This example deletes a container named my-file-system.

az storage fs delete -n my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Create a directory

Create a directory reference by using the az storage fs directory create command.

This example adds a directory named my-directory to a container named my-file-system that is located in an account named mystorageaccount.

az storage fs directory create -n my-directory -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Show directory properties

You can print the properties of a directory to the console by using the az storage fs directory show command.

az storage fs directory show -n my-directory -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Rename or move a directory

Rename or move a directory by using the az storage fs directory move command.

This example renames a directory from the name my-directory to the name my-new-directory in the same container.

az storage fs directory move -n my-directory -f my-file-system --new-directory "my-file-system/my-new-directory" --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

This example moves a directory to a container named my-second-file-system.

az storage fs directory move -n my-directory -f my-file-system --new-directory "my-second-file-system/my-new-directory" --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Delete a directory

Delete a directory by using the az storage fs directory delete command.

This example deletes a directory named my-directory.

az storage fs directory delete -n my-directory -f my-file-system  --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Check if a directory exists

Determine if a specific directory exists in the container by using the az storage fs directory exists command.

This example reveals whether a directory named my-directory exists in the my-file-system container.

az storage fs directory exists -n my-directory -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Download from a directory

Download a file from a directory by using the az storage fs file download command.

This example downloads a file named upload.txt from a directory named my-directory.

az storage fs file download -p my-directory/upload.txt -f my-file-system -d "C:\myFolder\download.txt" --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

List directory contents

List the contents of a directory by using the az storage fs file list command.

This example lists the contents of a directory named my-directory that is located in the my-file-system container of a storage account named mystorageaccount.

az storage fs file list -f my-file-system --path my-directory --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Upload a file to a directory

Upload a file to a directory by using the az storage fs file upload command.

This example uploads a file named upload.txt to a directory named my-directory.

az storage fs file upload -s "C:\myFolder\upload.txt" -p my-directory/upload.txt  -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Show file properties

You can print the properties of a file to the console by using the az storage fs file show command.

az storage fs file show -p my-file.txt -f my-file-system --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Rename or move a file

Rename or move a file by using the az storage fs file move command.

This example renames a file from the name my-file.txt to the name my-file-renamed.txt.

az storage fs file move -p my-file.txt -f my-file-system --new-path my-file-system/my-file-renamed.txt --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login

Delete a file

Delete a file by using the az storage fs file delete command.

This example deletes a file named my-file.txt

az storage fs file delete -p my-directory/my-file.txt -f my-file-system  --account-name mystorageaccount --auth-mode login