Is it any Cloud Core Data storage engines? I very like how Core Data works, but Core Data is limited to local-only usage or via iCloud (it it can be used only on 1 iTunes account).
Any service host Core Data storages that can be shared accross multiple users or only way is it to use 3rd party bases (like Firebase + JSONSync + Core Data)? My question is only about Core Data native engines, not JSON/Firebase etc.
Now it available through CKShare. I recommend to check that video WWDC 2016 - What's New with CloudKit
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I want to build a image sharing platform for customers to use. This platform will take an image provided by a user, create copies of it at multiple resolutions, and store them ready to be shared or downloaded. How to achieve this using azure in a cost effective ways
Im thinking to use Azure functions(for the api calls) storage blobs , event grid and cosmos db for the same.
To keep the costs low keep it simple:
Store data in Blob storage. Price varies based on redundancy, speed of access and location
Azure functions for processing images, consumption plan gives 1M free requests per month
Azure app service to host web site for uploading images, there is a free tier
We have our own application that stores contacts in an SQL database. What all is involved in getting up and running in the cloud so that each user of the application can have his own, private list of contacts, which will be synced with both his computer and his phone?
I am trying to get a feeling for what Azure might cost in this regard, but I am finding more abstract talk than I am concrete scenarios.
Let's say there are 1,000 users, and each user has 1,000 contacts that he keeps in his contacts book. No user can see the contacts set up by any other user. Syncing should occur any time the user changes his contact information.
Thanks.
While the Windows Azure Cloud Platform is not intended to compete directly with consumer-oriented services such as Dropbox, it is certainly intended as a platform for building applications that do that. So your particular use case is a good one for Windows Azure: creating a service for keeping contacts in sync, scalable across many users, scalable in the amount of data it holds, and so forth.
Making your solution is multi-tenant friendly (per comment from #BrentDaCodeMonkey) is key to cost-efficiency. Your data needs are for 1K users x 1K contacts/user = 1M contacts. If each contact is approx 1KB then we are talking about approx 1GB of storage.
Checking out the pricing calculator, the at-rest storage cost is $9.99/month for a Windows Azure SQL Database instance for 1GB (then $13.99 if you go up to 2GB, etc. - refer to calculator for add'l projections and current pricing).
Then you have data transmission (Bandwidth) charges. Though since the pricing calculator says "The first 5 GB of outbound data transfers per billing month are also free" you probably won't have any costs with current users, assuming moderate smarts in the sync.
This does not include the costs of your application. What is your application, how does it run, etc? Assuming there is a client-side component, (typically) this component cannot be trusted to have the database connection. This would therefore require a server-side component running that could serve as a gatekeeper for the database. (You also, usually, don't expose the database to all IP addresses - another motivation for channeling data through a server-side component.) This component will also cost money to operate. The costs are also in the pricing calculator - but if you chose to use a Windows Azure Web Site that could be free. An excellent approach might be the nifty ASP.NET Web API stack that has recently been released. Using the Web API, you can implement a nice REST API that your client application can access securely. Windows Azure Web Sites can host Web API endpoints. Check out the "reserved instance" capability too.
I would start out with Windows Azure Web Sites, but as my service grew in complexity/sophistication, check out the Windows Azure Cloud Service (as a more advance approach to building server-side components).
I've recently begun using the Web Deployment Accelerator for my Windows Azure account. It is providing an immediate return in time saved and is an excellent offering.
However since "everything" is now stored to Azure Storage rather to the regular E:Drive I am immediately seeing a cost consequence for using the tool.
In one day I have racked up a mighty 4 cent NZD charge. In order to do that I had to burn through about 80,000 storage transactions and frankly i cant figure where they all went.
I uploaded 6 sites that are very small wouldn't have more than 300 files each. So I'm wondering:
a. is there is a profiling tool for the Web Deployment Accelerator that will allow me to see where and how 80,000 storage transactions were used for such a small offering. Is it storage transaction intensive tool? Has any cost analysis been carried out in terms of how this tool operates? Has it been optimised with cost in mind?
b. If I'm using this tool do i pay for 2 storage transactions per http request to a site? As since the tool now writes the web server logs to table storage, that would be one storage request to pull the http request resource (img, script, etc) and a storage request to write the log entry as well would it not?
I'm not concerned about current charges I 'm concerned about the future if i start rolling all my hosted business into the cloud. I mean Im now being charged even just to "look" at my data right? If i list the contents of a storage folder using a tool like Azure Storage Explorer that's x number of storage transactions where x = number of files in the folder?
Not sure of a 3rd-party profiler tool, but Windows Azure Storage logging and metrics will give you very detailed info regarding both individual accesses and hourly rollups. It's pretty straightforward to enable, and the November 2011 SDK includes support for the API calls required for enabling. See here for an overview of what's offered for metrics and logging.
My team worked with Fullscale180 to build a storage library, Azure Store XRay, to demonstrate how to enable and query storage metrics and logging. Note: This was published before the SDK had logging and metrics support, so it uses the REST API calls instead. But that won't impact you if you try to use the library.
You can also look at another code demo, Cloud Ninja, which calls the XRay library for its metrics display (see here for running demo).
Regarding querying storage for objects in blob containers: that's not a 1:1 transaction:file scenario. You can specify the maximum number of blobs to return when listing items in a container. It's possible that all blobs are returned in one transaction. Of course, if you then grab each blob, each of these will be at least one transaction (depending on blob size). See here for details about listing blobs.
I would like to create a Metro application that allows a group of people to interact. One person would create data and serve as the owner, and multiple others would be invited in and be allow to modify that data. I heard from Build talks that each Metro application will get per-user Azure storage, but will it be possible to share that data between multiple users? Does anyone have a link they could share where I could research this?
I think that you are confusing SkyDrive with Azure Blob Storage.
SkyDrive
Personal to a Live ID
Not really meant as a base for collaborative work
Azure Blob Storage
You can have public files that anyone can view and update
You can have a lease on file that only allows certain people to edit it
Since you own the Azure account you also control the content
You can learn the basics here
If you want to share private app data between users, the best way to do so would be via a shared server of some sort. You should have a server (running on Azure, Amazon EC2, or anything really) that exposes a REST-ful web service which each application connects to. The shared state then lives on that server.
This is better than trying to use skydrive or some file-based system for storing shared data. With a file on skydrive and multiple users trying to access it, you would run into concurrency issues when more than 1 person tries to write to it.
You don't get Azure with Metro.
With Live you get a free SkyDrive that is a personal cloud storage. Like 10 GB. Can share files but it is via sending an email link. It is not file storage that would readily support a server type application to manage that sharing.
Azure is a cloud platform for file and data sharing. Azure is not free but storage cost is only $0.125 / GB per month. 10 GB = $1.25 / month. Using SkyDrive as shared storage you are giving up a lot of developer and hosting tools that come with Azure to save $1.25 / month.
It looks like there is a more formal definition of this with the updated help now available. They were referring to roaming application data. I found the following links that provide guidance:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh464917.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh465094.aspx
The general is that a small amount of temporary application data is provided on a per-app, per-user basis. The actual size you get is not detailed, but the guidance is pretty clear - app settings only, no large data sets, and don't use it for instant synchronization. Given this guidance, my plan is not a good one and will change.
There are many Azure projects on codeplex and scattered over MSDN. Some of them are so old that they use the code-based version of the storage client, and not the compiled version.
Which projects are current and relevant, and which are outdated?
Getting Started with Azure
http://blog.syntaxc4.net/post/2010/12/30/Essential-Resources-for-Getting-Started-with-Windows-Azure.aspx
Current and by MSFT:
MSDN Samples
Part 1 Demonstrates COMET via Silverlight and WCF among other samples
Part 2 Includes HTTP compression sample
How to... In Azure
Some entries contain code samples
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/gg432998.aspx
FabrikamShipping
Includes AD FS Federation, Facebook integration, and provisioning automation
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vbertocci/archive/2011/03/14/fun-with-fabrikamshipping-saas-ii-creating-an-enterprise-edition-instance.aspx
Azure SDK
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=7a1089b6-4050-4307-86c4-9dadaa5ed018
Azure Training Kit
Located at C:\WAPTK\Default.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=413E88F8-5966-4A83-B309-53B7B77EDF78
Patterns and Practices
Cloud Guidance (Greenfield and Brownfield scenarios)
Tailspin Toys Hands On Lab
Note there is a part 1 and part 2 to this
http://wag.codeplex.com/
Developing applications for the cloud
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff966499.aspx
All In One Samples
Has some Azure samples for oData and more. See both the 2008 and 2010 samples since each has different code.
http://1code.codeplex.com/
WCF Azure Samples
(looks up to date, but is located on "archive.msdn" which is disconcerting )
http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/wcfazure
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsazure/
3rd Party up to date
Encryption for Azure Table
Easily and transparently encrypt Table data
http://azuretableencrypt.codeplex.com/
Lokad.Cloud
An ORM for the cloud aka O/C mapper
http://code.google.com/p/lokad-cloud/
Facebook
http://facebooksdk.codeplex.com/
http://azuretoolkit.codeplex.com/
Azure Storage
http://azurestorageexplorer.codeplex.com/ (Oct of '10)
Azure Accelerators
http://azureaccelerators.codeplex.com/
Aside from makerofthings7's thorough answer, let me add one more:
David Pallman's 'Azure Storage Samples' - these are complete samples with two implementations each: .NET Storage Client Library and REST. This was published in February, 2011.
A project that probably contain all the providers you will ever need; Membership, Role, Session, and Profile providers. Stores in the Azure Table Storage and uses the Azure Queue http://azureproviders.codeplex.com