Create Azure File Shares

The azure-native:storage:FileShare resource, part of the Pulumi Azure Native provider, defines an Azure Files share within a storage account: its protocol, performance characteristics, and access tier. This guide focuses on four capabilities: protocol selection (SMB and NFS), access tier optimization, performance provisioning with IOPS and bandwidth, and paid bursting for variable workloads.

File shares belong to storage accounts and resource groups that must exist before share creation. The examples are intentionally small. Combine them with your own storage accounts, networking, and access control.

Create a basic SMB file share

Most deployments begin with a basic SMB share that provides network file storage with default settings.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as azure_native from "@pulumi/azure-native";

const fileShare = new azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare", {
    accountName: "sto328",
    resourceGroupName: "res3376",
    shareName: "share6185",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native

file_share = azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare",
    account_name="sto328",
    resource_group_name="res3376",
    share_name="share6185")

package main

import (
	storage "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-azure-native-sdk/storage/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := storage.NewFileShare(ctx, "fileShare", &storage.FileShareArgs{
			AccountName:       pulumi.String("sto328"),
			ResourceGroupName: pulumi.String("res3376"),
			ShareName:         pulumi.String("share6185"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using AzureNative = Pulumi.AzureNative;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var fileShare = new AzureNative.Storage.FileShare("fileShare", new()
    {
        AccountName = "sto328",
        ResourceGroupName = "res3376",
        ShareName = "share6185",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShare;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShareArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var fileShare = new FileShare("fileShare", FileShareArgs.builder()
            .accountName("sto328")
            .resourceGroupName("res3376")
            .shareName("share6185")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  fileShare:
    type: azure-native:storage:FileShare
    properties:
      accountName: sto328
      resourceGroupName: res3376
      shareName: share6185

The accountName references an existing storage account, resourceGroupName specifies the resource group, and shareName sets the share identifier. Without additional properties, the share uses SMB protocol (default), transaction-optimized access tier, and standard performance characteristics.

Enable NFS protocol for Linux workloads

Linux applications and containers often require NFS protocol support for file sharing.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as azure_native from "@pulumi/azure-native";

const fileShare = new azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare", {
    accountName: "sto666",
    enabledProtocols: azure_native.storage.EnabledProtocols.NFS,
    resourceGroupName: "res346",
    shareName: "share1235",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native

file_share = azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare",
    account_name="sto666",
    enabled_protocols=azure_native.storage.EnabledProtocols.NFS,
    resource_group_name="res346",
    share_name="share1235")

package main

import (
	storage "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-azure-native-sdk/storage/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := storage.NewFileShare(ctx, "fileShare", &storage.FileShareArgs{
			AccountName:       pulumi.String("sto666"),
			EnabledProtocols:  pulumi.String(storage.EnabledProtocolsNFS),
			ResourceGroupName: pulumi.String("res346"),
			ShareName:         pulumi.String("share1235"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using AzureNative = Pulumi.AzureNative;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var fileShare = new AzureNative.Storage.FileShare("fileShare", new()
    {
        AccountName = "sto666",
        EnabledProtocols = AzureNative.Storage.EnabledProtocols.NFS,
        ResourceGroupName = "res346",
        ShareName = "share1235",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShare;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShareArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var fileShare = new FileShare("fileShare", FileShareArgs.builder()
            .accountName("sto666")
            .enabledProtocols("NFS")
            .resourceGroupName("res346")
            .shareName("share1235")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  fileShare:
    type: azure-native:storage:FileShare
    properties:
      accountName: sto666
      enabledProtocols: NFS
      resourceGroupName: res346
      shareName: share1235

The enabledProtocols property selects NFS 4.1 instead of the default SMB protocol. This property is immutable after creation, so protocol choice must be made at provisioning time. NFS shares require premium storage accounts and support Linux-native file access patterns.

Optimize costs with access tier selection

File shares in general-purpose v2 accounts can use different access tiers to balance performance and cost.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as azure_native from "@pulumi/azure-native";

const fileShare = new azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare", {
    accessTier: azure_native.storage.ShareAccessTier.Hot,
    accountName: "sto666",
    resourceGroupName: "res346",
    shareName: "share1235",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native

file_share = azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare",
    access_tier=azure_native.storage.ShareAccessTier.HOT,
    account_name="sto666",
    resource_group_name="res346",
    share_name="share1235")

package main

import (
	storage "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-azure-native-sdk/storage/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := storage.NewFileShare(ctx, "fileShare", &storage.FileShareArgs{
			AccessTier:        pulumi.String(storage.ShareAccessTierHot),
			AccountName:       pulumi.String("sto666"),
			ResourceGroupName: pulumi.String("res346"),
			ShareName:         pulumi.String("share1235"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using AzureNative = Pulumi.AzureNative;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var fileShare = new AzureNative.Storage.FileShare("fileShare", new()
    {
        AccessTier = AzureNative.Storage.ShareAccessTier.Hot,
        AccountName = "sto666",
        ResourceGroupName = "res346",
        ShareName = "share1235",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShare;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShareArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var fileShare = new FileShare("fileShare", FileShareArgs.builder()
            .accessTier("Hot")
            .accountName("sto666")
            .resourceGroupName("res346")
            .shareName("share1235")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  fileShare:
    type: azure-native:storage:FileShare
    properties:
      accessTier: Hot
      accountName: sto666
      resourceGroupName: res346
      shareName: share1235

The accessTier property sets the storage tier to Hot, which optimizes for frequently accessed data. General-purpose v2 accounts support TransactionOptimized (default), Hot, and Cool tiers. Premium storage accounts use a single Premium tier. Access tier changes affect storage costs and transaction pricing.

Provision performance with IOPS and bandwidth

Applications with predictable performance requirements can provision specific IOPS and bandwidth levels independently of storage size.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as azure_native from "@pulumi/azure-native";

const fileShare = new azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare", {
    accountName: "sto666",
    provisionedBandwidthMibps: 200,
    provisionedIops: 5000,
    resourceGroupName: "res346",
    shareName: "share1235",
    shareQuota: 100,
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native

file_share = azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare",
    account_name="sto666",
    provisioned_bandwidth_mibps=200,
    provisioned_iops=5000,
    resource_group_name="res346",
    share_name="share1235",
    share_quota=100)

package main

import (
	storage "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-azure-native-sdk/storage/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := storage.NewFileShare(ctx, "fileShare", &storage.FileShareArgs{
			AccountName:               pulumi.String("sto666"),
			ProvisionedBandwidthMibps: pulumi.Int(200),
			ProvisionedIops:           pulumi.Int(5000),
			ResourceGroupName:         pulumi.String("res346"),
			ShareName:                 pulumi.String("share1235"),
			ShareQuota:                pulumi.Int(100),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using AzureNative = Pulumi.AzureNative;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var fileShare = new AzureNative.Storage.FileShare("fileShare", new()
    {
        AccountName = "sto666",
        ProvisionedBandwidthMibps = 200,
        ProvisionedIops = 5000,
        ResourceGroupName = "res346",
        ShareName = "share1235",
        ShareQuota = 100,
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShare;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShareArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var fileShare = new FileShare("fileShare", FileShareArgs.builder()
            .accountName("sto666")
            .provisionedBandwidthMibps(200)
            .provisionedIops(5000)
            .resourceGroupName("res346")
            .shareName("share1235")
            .shareQuota(100)
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  fileShare:
    type: azure-native:storage:FileShare
    properties:
      accountName: sto666
      provisionedBandwidthMibps: 200
      provisionedIops: 5000
      resourceGroupName: res346
      shareName: share1235
      shareQuota: 100

The provisionedIops and provisionedBandwidthMibps properties guarantee performance levels for the share. This configuration requires a Files Provisioned v2 account type, which decouples performance from storage size. The shareQuota sets storage capacity in gibibytes. Provisioned values have minimum and maximum limits returned by the GetFileServiceUsage API.

Handle traffic spikes with paid bursting

Workloads with occasional traffic spikes can use paid bursting to temporarily exceed baseline IOPS and bandwidth.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as azure_native from "@pulumi/azure-native";

const fileShare = new azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare", {
    accountName: "sto666",
    fileSharePaidBursting: {
        paidBurstingEnabled: true,
        paidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps: 10340,
        paidBurstingMaxIops: 102400,
    },
    resourceGroupName: "res346",
    shareName: "share1235",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native

file_share = azure_native.storage.FileShare("fileShare",
    account_name="sto666",
    file_share_paid_bursting={
        "paid_bursting_enabled": True,
        "paid_bursting_max_bandwidth_mibps": 10340,
        "paid_bursting_max_iops": 102400,
    },
    resource_group_name="res346",
    share_name="share1235")

package main

import (
	storage "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-azure-native-sdk/storage/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := storage.NewFileShare(ctx, "fileShare", &storage.FileShareArgs{
			AccountName: pulumi.String("sto666"),
			FileSharePaidBursting: &storage.FileSharePropertiesFileSharePaidBurstingArgs{
				PaidBurstingEnabled:           pulumi.Bool(true),
				PaidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps: pulumi.Int(10340),
				PaidBurstingMaxIops:           pulumi.Int(102400),
			},
			ResourceGroupName: pulumi.String("res346"),
			ShareName:         pulumi.String("share1235"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using AzureNative = Pulumi.AzureNative;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var fileShare = new AzureNative.Storage.FileShare("fileShare", new()
    {
        AccountName = "sto666",
        FileSharePaidBursting = new AzureNative.Storage.Inputs.FileSharePropertiesFileSharePaidBurstingArgs
        {
            PaidBurstingEnabled = true,
            PaidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps = 10340,
            PaidBurstingMaxIops = 102400,
        },
        ResourceGroupName = "res346",
        ShareName = "share1235",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShare;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.FileShareArgs;
import com.pulumi.azurenative.storage.inputs.FileSharePropertiesFileSharePaidBurstingArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var fileShare = new FileShare("fileShare", FileShareArgs.builder()
            .accountName("sto666")
            .fileSharePaidBursting(FileSharePropertiesFileSharePaidBurstingArgs.builder()
                .paidBurstingEnabled(true)
                .paidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps(10340)
                .paidBurstingMaxIops(102400)
                .build())
            .resourceGroupName("res346")
            .shareName("share1235")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  fileShare:
    type: azure-native:storage:FileShare
    properties:
      accountName: sto666
      fileSharePaidBursting:
        paidBurstingEnabled: true
        paidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps: 10340
        paidBurstingMaxIops: 102400
      resourceGroupName: res346
      shareName: share1235

The fileSharePaidBursting block enables burst capacity beyond provisioned levels. When paidBurstingEnabled is true, the share can temporarily reach paidBurstingMaxIops and paidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps during traffic spikes. This provides an alternative to constant high provisioning for workloads with variable demand patterns.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific file share features: protocol selection (SMB and NFS), access tier and performance provisioning, and paid bursting for traffic spikes. They’re intentionally minimal rather than full storage solutions.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as storage accounts (general-purpose v2 or premium) and resource groups. They focus on configuring the share rather than provisioning the storage account itself.

To keep things focused, common file share patterns are omitted, including:

  • Quota limits and size constraints (shareQuota)
  • Metadata tags for organization
  • NFS root squash settings (rootSquash)
  • Stored access policies (signedIdentifiers)

These omissions are intentional: the goal is to illustrate how each file share feature is wired, not provide drop-in storage modules. See the FileShare resource reference for all available configuration options.

Let's create Azure File Shares

Get started with Pulumi Cloud, then follow our quick setup guide to deploy this infrastructure.

Try Pulumi Cloud for FREE

Frequently Asked Questions

Configuration & Immutability
What properties can't I change after creating a file share?
The accountName, resourceGroupName, shareName, and enabledProtocols properties are immutable and require recreating the file share if you need to change them.
Can I change the protocol of an existing file share?
No, enabledProtocols is immutable and can only be specified when creating the share. To use a different protocol, you must create a new file share.
Access Tiers & Storage Types
What access tiers are available for file shares?
GpV2 accounts can choose TransactionOptimized (default), Hot, or Cool. FileStorage accounts can choose Premium.
What are the size limits for file shares?
Standard shares support up to 5TB (5120 GiB), Large File Shares support up to 102,400 GiB. For Files Provisioned v2 account type, refer to the GetFileServiceUsage API response for minimum and maximum allowed provisioned storage size.
NFS Shares
How do I create an NFS file share?
Set enabledProtocols to NFS when creating the share. This property is immutable and can only be specified during creation.
What is the rootSquash property for NFS shares?
rootSquash is an NFS-only property that controls root access permissions. The default value is NoRootSquash.
Provisioned Performance
How do I configure provisioned IOPS and bandwidth for a file share?
For Files Provisioned v2 account type, set provisionedBandwidthMibps and provisionedIops when creating the share. Refer to the GetFileServiceUsage API response for minimum and maximum allowed values.
What is paid bursting and how do I enable it?
Paid bursting allows you to exceed baseline performance limits. Enable it by setting fileSharePaidBursting.paidBurstingEnabled to true and configuring paidBurstingMaxBandwidthMibps and paidBurstingMaxIops.
Why can't I downgrade my provisioned resources immediately?
Azure enforces cooldown periods for downgrading provisioned resources. Check the nextAllowedProvisionedBandwidthDowngradeTime, nextAllowedProvisionedIopsDowngradeTime, and nextAllowedQuotaDowngradeTime output properties to see when downgrades are allowed.

Using a different cloud?

Explore storage guides for other cloud providers:

AWS Guides GCP Guides