Provide storage for the public website

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Busa Ayim-Odu

Table of Contents

Introduction

Types of Storage for Public Websites

Key Considerations for Public Website Storage

Common Storage Solutions for Public Websites

Task

Conclusion

What is Storage for a public website?

The infrastructure and technology needed to store and manage the many kinds of data that a website needs, including HTML files, photos, videos, stylesheets, scripts, and databases, are referred to as storage for a public website. A public website's storage solution makes sure that users may access content quickly, securely, and scalable across the internet.

Types of Storage for Public Websites

• Web Hosting Storage
• Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
• Object Storage (e.g., Azure Blob, AWS S3)
• Database Storage
• File Storage

Importance of Storage for Public Websites

For public websites, storage is essential since it makes sure that all the required resources, files, and data are properly maintained, easily accessible, and safe. Why it matters is as follows:

Accessibility of Data:

Various assets, including HTML files, pictures, videos, scripts, and stylesheets, must be stored on websites. For the website to load rapidly, these files must be simply and quickly accessible to users. Users will benefit from minimum delays and quick load times thanks to proper storage.

Scalability:

Both the amount of data and the number of visitors to a website expand with its popularity. Websites can handle higher volumes of data and traffic thanks to scalable storage solutions without experiencing lag or failure. This is particularly important for public websites because they could see abrupt spikes in traffic.

Optimizing Performance:

Users can access website resources with the least amount of latency thanks to storage solutions that are quick and effective. CDNs and other storage solutions aid in the global distribution of content, cutting down on the distance data must travel and speeding up page loads.

Safety:

Systems used for storing data on public websites must prevent unwanted access to sensitive information, including user and transactional data. Role-based access restrictions, encryption, and backups are all used by secure storage solutions to shield data from hacks and attacks. And a lot more

Common Storage Solutions for Public Websites:

• Typical Cloud Storage (AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage) Solutions for Public Websites:

Offers economical, safe, and scalable storage for media files, documents, and static pages—all of which are assets found on websites.

• Databases for Content Management Systems (CMS):

Content, configurations, and user data are stored in databases by systems such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal; these databases are usually relational databases like MySQL.

• CDN Service Providers: AWS CloudFront, Akamai, and Cloudflare

Global content distribution and archiving networks, or CDNs, guarantee fast load times and high availability for users everywhere.

Task/Exercise:

Step 1: Create a storage account with high availability.

• In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

-Select + Create.

• For resource group select new. Give your resource group a name and select OK.
• Set the Storage account name to publicwebsite. Make sure the storage account name is unique by adding an identifier.
• Take the defaults for other settings.
• Select Review and then Create.

• Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

Step 2: This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Additionally, enable read access to the secondary region, Learn more about storage account redundancy.

• In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
• Ensure Read-access Geo-redundant storage is selected.
• Review the primary and secondary location information.

Step 3: Information on the public website should be accessible without requiring customers to login.

• In the storage account, in the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
• Ensure the Allow blob anonymous access setting is Enabled.
• Be sure to Save your changes.

Create a blob storage container with anonymous read access

Step 1: The public website has various images and documents. Create a blob storage container for the content. Learn more about storage containers.

• In your storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
• Select + Container.
• Ensure the Name of the container is public.
• Select Create.

Customers should be able to view the images without being authenticated. Configure anonymous read access for the public container blobs. Learn more about configuring anonymous public access.

• Select your public container.
• On the Overview blade, select Change access level.
• Ensure the Public access level is Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only).
• Select OK.

Practice uploading files and testing access.

Step 1: For testing, upload a file to the public container. The type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice.

• Ensure you are viewing your container.
• Select Upload.
• Browse to files and select a file. Browse to a file of your choice.
• Select Upload.
• Close the upload window, Refresh the page and ensure your file was uploaded.

Determine the URL for your uploaded file. Open a browser and test the URL.

• Select your uploaded file.
• On the Overview tab, copy the URL.
• Paste the URL into a new browser tab.

• If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types should be downloaded.

Configure soft delete

Step 1: It’s important that the website documents can be restored if they’re deleted. Configure blob soft delete for 21 days. Learn more about soft delete for blobs.

• Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
• On the Properties page, locate the Blob service section.
• Select the Blob soft delete setting.
• Ensure the Enable soft delete for blobs is checked.
• Change the Keep deleted blobs for (in days setting is 21.
• Notice you can also Enable soft delete for containers.

• Don’t forget to Save your changes.

Step 2: If something gets deleted, you need to practice using soft delete to restore the files.

• Navigate to your container where you uploaded a file.
• Select the file you uploaded and then select Delete.
• Select OK to confirm deleting the file.
• On the container Overview page, toggle the slider Show deleted blobs. This toggle is to the right of the search box.

• Select your deleted file, and use the ellipses on the far right, to Undelete the file.
• Refresh the container and confirm the file has been restored.

Configure blob versioning

Step 1: It’s important to keep track of the different website product document versions. Learn more about blob versioning.

• Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
• In the Properties section, locate the Blob service section.
• Select the Versioning setting.

• Ensure the Enable versioning for blobs checkbox is checked.
• Notice your options to keep all versions or delete versions after.
• Don’t forget to Save your changes.

Step 2: As you have time experiment with restoring previous blob versions.

• Upload another version of your container file. This overwrites your existing file.

• Your previous file version is listed on Show deleted blobs page.

In conclusion, providing quick, safe, and dependable online experiences for visitors to a public website requires careful selection of the storage option. With the help of scalable cloud storage and content delivery networks (CDNs), you can make sure that your website functions well and stays accessible even during periods of high traffic. This applies to huge media files, dynamic databases, and static information.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Busa Ayim-Odu