Understand container types and containers

Applies to: Developer

Use this article to understand the two core storage objects in SharePoint Embedded: container types and containers.

For the full creation and management reference, see SharePoint Embedded container types.

Object model

SharePoint Embedded stores files and documents in containers, which are grouped by container type. You create a container type before you can create any containers for an application.

Object	What it represents	Who usually manages it
Container type	Relationship between an app and a set of containers, including access, behavior, and billing accountability.	Developer or container type owner.
Container	The storage and security boundary for files and folders.	Application through Microsoft Graph, and admins for governance operations.

Container type concept

A container type is a SharePoint Embedded resource. It defines:

• The owning application.
• The access privileges between applications and containers.
• The billing accountability model.
• Selected behaviors that apply to containers of that type.

Each container type is strongly coupled with one SharePoint Embedded application, called the owning application. SharePoint Embedded requires a 1:1 relationship between the owning application and the container type. The owning application developer is responsible for creating and managing the container type.

Container type identity

The container type is represented on each container as an immutable property named ContainerTypeID. The property is used across the SharePoint Embedded ecosystem. It affects:

• Access authorization.
• Trial exploration.
• Billing.
• Configurable behavior.

Important

Plan the container type carefully. Some creation choices, such as trial versus production and standard versus pass-through billing, can't be converted after creation. To switch, you must delete and re-create the container type.

Containers

A container is the basic storage unit in SharePoint Embedded, and it defines a security and compliance boundary. Applications create containers in consuming tenants by using Microsoft Graph.

Files, folders, metadata, versions, and recycle bin content are stored within containers and are subject to current SharePoint Embedded limits.

For limits, see Understand limits and calling patterns.

Ownership

Container type ownership and container residency are different. The owning tenant creates the container type. The consuming tenant uses the container type and hosts containers.

All container content created through the application is stored within the consuming tenant's Microsoft 365 tenant boundary.

For tenant architecture, see Understand app and tenant architecture.

Access authorization

A SharePoint Embedded application must be associated with a container type to access containers of that type. After association, the application has access to containers of that type according to application-container type permissions. The owning application has full access privilege by default to containers of the container type it's coupled with. Actual access also depends on whether the app uses delegated access or app-only access.

For permission planning, see Plan authentication and permissions.

Trial container types

Use a trial container type to explore SharePoint Embedded development without linking an Azure billing profile.

For trial container types:

• The developer tenant is the same as the consuming tenant.
• Each developer can have only one trial container type in their tenant at a time.
• The trial is valid for up to 30 days.
• Up to five containers of the container type can be created, including active containers and containers in the recycle bin.
• Each container has up to 1 GB of storage.
• The container type is restricted to the developer tenant.

A trial container type can't be converted to production.

To create a trial container type, developers can use the SharePoint Embedded Visual Studio Code extension or the Microsoft Graph container type API.

Container types are created with the Microsoft Graph POST /v1.0/storage/fileStorage/containerTypes endpoint, using the trial billing classification. This call requires the FileStorageContainerType.Manage.All delegated permission; app-only access isn't supported. The calling user must be a non-guest member of the owning tenant (no admin role required) and is automatically assigned as an owner of the new container type.

Standard container types

A standard container type is used for non-trial scenarios.

Each tenant can have 25 container types at a time.

Standard container types are billable and must use a billing model.

SharePoint Embedded supports:

• Standard billing (standard billing classification).
• Pass-through billing (directToCustomer billing classification).

For billing selection, see Choose a billing model.

Standard billing container type

With standard billing, consumption-based charges are billed to the tenant that owns or develops the application.

The owning tenant attaches a billing profile after creating the standard container type.

Create the container type with the Microsoft Graph POST /v1.0/storage/fileStorage/containerTypes endpoint using the standard billing classification, then attach an Azure billing profile:

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/storage/fileStorage/containerTypes

{
  "name": "{ContainerTypeName}",
  "owningAppId": "{OwningApplicationId}",
  "billingClassification": "standard"
}

Pass-through billing container type

With pass-through billing, charges are billed directly to the consuming tenant.

The developer creates the container type with the directToCustomer billing classification and doesn't attach a billing profile in the developer tenant.

{
  "name": "{ContainerTypeName}",
  "owningAppId": "{OwningApplicationId}",
  "billingClassification": "directToCustomer"
}

After registration, a Global Administrator in the consuming tenant sets up billing in the consuming tenant.

Admin and developer interaction

Developers and admins interact with different layers.

Activity	Container type	Container
Create the app's storage family	Yes	No
Configure owning app relationship	Yes	No
Configure billing accountability	Yes	No
Create app storage instances	No	Yes
Store files and folders	No	Yes
Apply container-specific governance	No	Yes
Delete the storage family	Yes, after containers are removed	No

Container type configuration

Developers can configure selected container type settings after creation.

You can configure these container type settings:

• ApplicationRedirectUrl
• DiscoverabilityDisabled
• SharingRestricted

Use the Microsoft Graph Update fileStorageContainerType API for supported container type updates. For administrative settings, see Create apps with PowerShell.

Registration

To create and interact with containers in a consuming tenant, the container type must be registered in that tenant.

The owning application invokes the registration API to define application permissions for the container type.

For full details, see Register file storage container type application permissions.

Planning checklist

• Choose trial or standard.
• Choose standard billing or pass-through billing for production.
• Identify the owning application.
• Confirm the container type name.
• Confirm the consuming tenant or tenants.
• Plan container type registration.
• Plan application permissions.
• Plan which container type settings are required.
• Plan container lifecycle and deletion.

Next steps

Plan authentication and authorization: Plan authentication and permissions.