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Leveraging Azure NetApp Files for High-Performance Kubernetes Storage

sneharani's avatar
sneharani
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
May 15, 2025

In today’s cloud-native landscape, running stateful applications on Kubernetes is no longer the exception—it’s the norm. From databases to AI/ML pipelines, enterprises are increasingly demanding robust, high-performance, and persistent storage for their Kubernetes workloads. That’s where Azure NetApp Files (ANF) comes in.

Azure NetApp Files, a fully managed file storage service built for high-throughput and low-latency applications, integrates seamlessly with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) using Astra Trident—an open-...
Updated May 08, 2025
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stu_nz's avatar
stu_nz
Brass Contributor
Jun 24, 2025

Does Azure NetApp Files (ANF) support writeable clones?  The documentation in https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-netapp-files/snapshots-introduction#restoring-cloning-an-online-snapshot-to-a-new-volume suggests that restores to another volume are copied in the background and are stored separately.

I know NetApp does support writeable clones, but that doesn't seem to be the behaviour of ANF?

Also what support is available when using Trident?  It isn't mentioned on the official docs.  Would I be correct in assuming its similar to other open source aspects like the iSCSI provider where MS do not provide support?

sneharani's avatar
sneharani
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
Jul 01, 2025

Hi stu_nz​ , thanks for your insightful questions!

1. Writable Clones in ANF:
At the moment, Azure NetApp Files (ANF) supports restoring snapshots by copying to a new volume, as described in the Microsoft Learn documentation. This differs from ONTAP’s instant writable clone behavior.


2. Snapshot Restore Behavior:
As you mentioned, restoring a snapshot to another volume in ANF results in a background copy. This is the expected behavior with ANF currently.


3. Trident Support:
Trident does support Azure NetApp Files using the NFS protocol. Support for iSCSI is not applicable here, as ANF does not offer iSCSI and is a fully managed Microsoft PaaS service. For reference: https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/trident/get-help.html

  • kewalaka's avatar
    kewalaka
    Copper Contributor
    Jul 01, 2025

    hi sneharani​ - on point 3 - the question being asked was *Microsoft's* support stance for Trident. 

    The reason for the comparison with iSCSI is to illustrate that recommended open-source solutions are not always supported by Microsoft, as an example, with Elastic SAN:
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/elastic-san/elastic-san-aks-options#kubernetes-iscsi-csi-driver

    I'm aware.  Elastic SAN is not NetApp.

    The question remains - what is the support stance from Microsoft when using the Trident operator in this pattern - does this require a separate support arrangement (e.g. with NetApp, the maintainer or Trident), or does Microsoft cover this under their Azure NetApp Files offering?

    Thanks!

    • sneharani's avatar
      sneharani
      Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
      Jul 03, 2025

      Hi kewalaka​ Trident is maintained and fully supported by NetApp. While Azure NetApp Files (ANF) itself is a Microsoft first-party service and supported by Microsoft, Trident falls under NetApp's support responsibility. If you're using Trident in this pattern, support would be provided by NetApp (the maintainer of Trident), not directly through Microsoft.
      https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/trident/get-help.html