Local Azure Storage Development with Azurite, Azure SDKs, and Azure Storage Explorer

mkcert 127.0.0.1.pem

```markdown

## Azurite

1. Start Azurite with HTTPS and OAuth Support

```bash

azurite --oauth basic --cert 127.0.0.1.pem --key 127.0.0.1-key.pem

```csharp

## Azure SDK

1. Use Azure SDKs to connect to Azurite

You’ll notice here that we are using the Azurite HTTPS endpoint, and `DefaultAzureCredential()`, which automatically retrieves the appropriatly scoped Azure Storage token.

```csharp

var client = new BlobContainerCient(
  new Uri("https://127.0.0.1:10000/devstoreaccount1/container-name"),
  new DefaultAzureCredential()
);

```sql

## Azure Storage Explorer

1. Use Azure Storage Explorer to view the Azurite data

!['Blobs in storage explorer'](/images/local-azure-storage-development-with-azurite-azuresdks-storage-explorer/017.png)

Now, let’s go through each step that you need to complete to get this all setup.

## Create an Azurite folder

Azurite needs a place to store its metadata and the data you send to it. You also need a place to store the certificate files we’ll create and it’s best they are in the same folder that you start Azurite.

1. Create a folder, I like to put my Azurite files in c:\\azurite

```bash

cd c:\
mkdir azurite
cd azurite

```sql

## Local Certificate Setup

You need a local self-signed certificate, which is super easy to create with [mkcert](https://github.com/FiloSottile/mkcert). You have other certificate options available and detailed instructions for those options can be found on the [Azurite installation page](https://github.com/Azure/Azurite#https-setup).

1. Install mkcert

The mkcert site has many [installation methods](https://github.com/FiloSottile/mkcert#installation), but I like [Chocolately](https://chocolatey.org/).

```bash

choco install mkcert

```text

1. Trust the mkcert RootCA.pem

This will add the RootCA created my mkcert to your Trusted Root Certificates.

```bash

mkcert -install

```sql

1. Create certificate

```bash

mkcert 127.0.0.1

```sql

This will create the certificates and output the following:

```bash

C:\azurite>mkcert 127.0.0.1
Using the local CA at "C:\Users\Jon\AppData\Local\mkcert" ✨

Created a new certificate valid for the following names 📜

- "127.0.0.1"

The certificate is at "./127.0.0.1.pem" and the key at "./127.0.0.1-key.pem" ✅

```markdown

## Azurite Setup

1. Install Azurite

We’ll use npm here, but you have other options listed on the [Azurite install page](https://github.com/Azure/Azurite#getting-started).

```bash

npm install azurite

```text

1. Start Azurite

Run the `azurite` command and turn on OAuth with `--oauth basic` and turn on HTTPS with the `--cert` and `--key` options.

```bash

azurite --oauth basic --cert 127.0.0.1.pem --key 127.0.0.1-key.pem

```text

That will output the following:

```bash

Azurite Blob service is starting at https://127.0.0.1:10000
Azurite Blob service is successfully listening at https://127.0.0.1:10000
Azurite Queue service is starting at https://127.0.0.1:10001
Azurite Queue service is successfully listening at https://127.0.0.1:10001

```yaml

Azurite is now running.

## Azure CLI Setup

To avoid having to create service principals for local development, we’ll install the Azure CLI and login.

1. Install the Azure CLI [https://aka.ms/azcliget](https://aka.ms/azcliget)
2. Run `az login` to login to the Azure CLI.

NOTE: You’ll need to install the latest Azure Identity preview for Azure CLI authentication integratino with the Azure SDKs to work. See [https://aka.ms/azsdk/releases](https://aka.ms/azsdk/releases) for the latest SDK versions.

## Azure SDK Setup

Now, we’ll run some code that hits our Azurite HTTPS endpoints. All of the following code can be found here: [https://github.com/jongio/azure-storage-azurite-azuresdks-storage-explorer](https://github.com/jongio/azure-storage-azurite-azuresdks-storage-explorer)

NOTE: You will need the Azure Identity preview versions for this to work with Azure CLI Credentials, see [https://aka.ms/azsdk/releases](https://aka.ms/azsdk/releases) for the latest SDK versions.

```csharp

var blobHost = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_STORAGE_BLOB_HOST");  // 127.0.0.1:10000
var account = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT"); // devstoreaccount1
var container = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_STORAGE_CONTAINER");
var emulator = account == "devstoreaccount1";
var blobBaseUri = $"https://{(emulator ? $"{blobHost}/{account}" : $"{account}.{blobHost}")}/";
var blobContainerUri = $"{blobBaseUri}{container}";

// Generate random string for blob content and file name
var content = Guid.NewGuid().ToString("n").Substring(0, 8);
var file = $"{content}.txt";

// With container uri and DefaultAzureCredential
// Since we are using the Azure Identity preview version, DefaultAzureCredential will use your Azure CLI token.
var client = new BlobContainerClient(new Uri(blobContainerUri), new DefaultAzureCredential());

// Create container
await client.CreateIfNotExistsAsync();

// Get content stream
using var stream = new MemoryStream(Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(content));

// Upload blob
await client.UploadBlobAsync(file, stream);

```sql

When you run the above code, a blob will be added to the container, and when you move to production you just need to update the environment variables to point to Azure instead of Azurite.

## Azure Storage Explorer Setup

Now, we want to view the blob we just created. That’s easy with Storage Explorer, but we have to take an extra few steps to add the Azurite HTTPS endpoints.

1. Install Azure Storage Explorer

Go to the [Azure Storage Explorer](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/features/storage-explorer/) install page and install it.

1. Import SSL Certificate

We need to tell Azure Storage Explorer to use the mkcert RootCA.pem file.

Run this command to find the mkcert RootCA.pem file

```bash

mkcert -CAROOT

```text

Mine is located here:

```bash

C:\Users\Jon\AppData\Local\mkcert