How to set FTP to a Azure Cloud Service or Azure storage?

Question

We are new to Windows azure and I would like to know whether we can setup FTP accounts for a azure cloud service so that we can upload files via ftp clients like filezilla? Please let me know how and whether it is recommended or not? Because I have read at some places that files uploaded via ftp are deleted once the azure instance is refreshed which I actually didn’t understand by the word refreshed. Similarly can we create FTP for Windows Azure Storage as well so that we can upload blob files directly via FTP? Please help.

Answer 1

The simplest solution I see would be to create an IaaS VM in azure and install an FTP server on it. Create the appropriate external endpoint and open up the firewall on the machine just like you'd do for an FTP server in your office.

For storage in the VM, you can attach a data disk that will live in your storage account. Make that data disk the file store for your FTP server and you should be good to go.