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Azure Blob Storage

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The Azure Blob Storage integration enables backup and restoration of Azure Blob Storage containers. All container contents including blobs, metadata, and prefix hierarchies are captured and stored in a Kloset store with encryption and deduplication.

The Azure Blob Storage integration provides three connectors:

Connector type Description
Source connector Back up Azure Blob containers into a Kloset store.
Storage connector Use Azure Blob Storage as a Kloset store backend.
Destination connector Restore container contents from a Kloset store back to Azure Blob Storage.

Installation

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The Azure Blob Storage package can be installed using pre-built binaries or compiled from source.

Pre-compiled packages are available for common platforms and provide the simplest installation method.

Logging In

Pre-built packages require Plakar authentication. See Logging in to Plakar for details.

Install the Azure Blob Storage package:

$ plakar pkg add azblob

Verify installation:

$ plakar pkg list

Source builds are useful when pre-built packages are unavailable or when customization is required.

Prerequisites:

  • Go toolchain compatible with your Plakar version

Build the package:

$ plakar pkg build azblob

A package archive will be created in the current directory (e.g., azblob_v1.0.0_darwin_arm64.ptar).

Install the package:

$ plakar pkg add ./azblob_v1.0.0_darwin_arm64.ptar

Verify installation:

$ plakar pkg list

To list, upgrade, or remove the package, see managing packages guide.

Configuration

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Authentication

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Authentication can be provided in multiple ways depending on your environment. At least one of the following must be provided:

  • connection_string (recommended)
  • account_name + account_key
  • no_auth=true with a valid endpoint

Configuration options

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These options apply to all three connectors (source, storage, destination).

Option Description
account_name Azure Storage account name.
account_key Azure Storage account key.
connection_string Azure Storage connection string. Takes precedence over account name and key.
endpoint Custom endpoint, for example Azurite or a non-standard Azure environment.
no_auth Disable authentication. Only for public containers or testing.
Warning

No Auth Setting no_auth=true disables authentication entirely. Only use this for public containers or local emulator setups such as Azurite. Never use it in production.

Source connector

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The source connector retrieves blobs from Azure Blob Storage containers and stores them in a Kloset store with encryption and deduplication.

flowchart LR

subgraph Source["Azure Blob Container"]
  FS["Blobs"]
end

subgraph Plakar["Plakar"]
  Connector["Retrieve blobs via
Azure Blob API"]
  Transform["Encrypt & deduplicate"]
  Connector --> Transform
end

Source --> Connector

Store["Kloset Store"]
Transform --> Store

Register the source and run a backup:

$ plakar source add my-az-container \
  azblob://container_name \
  connection_string=<YOUR_CONN_STRING>

$ plakar at /var/backups backup "@my-az-container"

To back up a specific prefix within a container:

$ plakar at /var/backups backup "@my-az-container:path"

Storage connector

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The storage connector uses Azure Blob Storage as the backend for a Kloset store. All Plakar data — snapshots, chunks, metadata — is stored as blobs.

flowchart LR

subgraph Sources["Any Source"]
  FS["Data"]
end

subgraph Plakar["Plakar"]
  Transform["Encrypt & deduplicate"]
  Connector["Store via
Azure Blob API"]
  Transform --> Connector
end

Sources --> Transform

subgraph Storage["Azure Blob Container"]
  Store["Kloset Store"]
end

Connector --> Store

Register the store, initialize it, and run a backup:

$ plakar store add my-az-store \
  azblob://container_name \
  connection_string=<YOUR_CONN_STRING>

$ plakar at "@my-az-store" create
$ plakar at "@my-az-store" backup /var/www

Destination connector

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Restores blobs from a Kloset store back to an Azure Blob Storage container.

flowchart LR

Store["Kloset Store"]

subgraph Plakar["Plakar"]
  Transform["Decrypt & reconstruct"]
  Connector["Restore via
Azure Blob API"]
  Transform --> Connector
end

Store --> Transform

subgraph Destination["Azure Blob Container"]
  FS["Blobs"]
end

Connector --> Destination

Register the destination and restore a snapshot:

$ plakar destination add my-az-restore \
  azblob://container_name \
  connection_string=<YOUR_CONN_STRING>

$ plakar at /var/backups restore -to "@my-az-restore"

Notes

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  • Azure Blob Storage uses containers instead of buckets.
  • Blob storage is flat; directory structures are simulated using prefixes.
  • Empty directories are not preserved unless they contain blobs.
  • When using Azurite, provide either a connection string or account_name=devstoreaccount1 with a local endpoint.

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