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How many storage accounts per Azure subscription?

Published in Azure Storage Limits 3 mins read

The number of storage accounts you can create per Azure subscription is determined by limits that are applied per region.

Understanding Storage Account Limits in Azure Subscriptions

By default, an Azure subscription allows you to create a specific number of storage accounts within each Azure region. These limits are designed to ensure resource availability and efficient management across the platform.

Default and Increased Quotas

The primary limit for storage accounts applies to those utilizing standard endpoints:

  • Default Limit: You can provision up to 250 storage accounts per region with standard endpoints in a given subscription.
  • Increased Quota: Should your architectural needs require more, this quota can be increased. With a successful quota increase request, you can create up to 500 storage accounts per region with standard endpoints.

It's important to note that these are per region limits. Therefore, an Azure subscription can host many more storage accounts in total if they are distributed across multiple Azure regions.

Here’s a summary of the per-region limits for standard endpoint storage accounts:

Quota Type Storage Accounts Per Region (Standard Endpoints)
Default Limit 250
Increased Quota 500

For the most up-to-date information on Azure Storage limits and how to request increases, refer to the official Microsoft documentation: Storage account overview - Azure Storage.

Practical Considerations and Solutions

When planning your Azure storage strategy, keep the following practical insights in mind:

  • Regional Distribution: If your application requires a large number of storage accounts, consider distributing them across multiple Azure regions to stay within the per-region quotas. This also enhances resiliency and can improve latency for globally distributed users.
  • Quota Increase Requests: If you anticipate exceeding the default 250 storage accounts in a single region, it's crucial to plan and submit a quota increase request in advance through the Azure portal. These requests are subject to Azure's approval process.
  • Premium Storage Accounts: Note that premium storage accounts may have different limits or contribute to separate quotas. Always consult the latest Azure documentation for specific details on different storage types.
  • Architectural Design: For very large-scale deployments that might push the limits of a single subscription even across regions, consider an architecture that utilizes multiple Azure subscriptions. This approach provides higher overall resource limits and can aid in billing and organizational management.
  • Resource Group Organization: While not directly a limit, organizing your storage accounts within well-defined resource groups helps manage and monitor them effectively, especially when dealing with hundreds of accounts.

By understanding these limits and employing strategic planning, you can efficiently manage your data storage needs within your Azure subscriptions.