### Step 1 โ Get the connection string from Azure
The **connection string** is one long password-like line that tells PipesHub how to reach your storage. We just need to copy it.
1. Go to [https://portal.azure.com](https://portal.azure.com) and sign in.
2. In the search bar at the top, type **Storage accounts** and click it.
3. Click the storage account you want PipesHub to read.
4. In the left menu, click **Security + networking โ Access keys**.
5. Under **key1**, click **Show** next to **Connection string**.
6. Click the **copy** icon next to it.
You now have the connection string in your clipboard. Don't close the tab yet โ if something goes wrong you'll want to come back.
Treat this string like a password. Anyone who gets it can read (and change) your storage. Don't paste it into chat, email, or a public file.
***
### Step 2 โ Open Azure Blob in PipesHub
1. In PipesHub, look at the left sidebar.
2. Under **Workspace**, click **Connectors**.
3. In the list, find **Azure Blob**.
4. Click **Setup** on its tile.
A panel slides in from the right. This is where you enter your details.
***
### Step 3 โ Paste your connection string
The panel opens on the first tab, **Authenticate Instance**.
1. In **Instance name**, type a short name so you can recognise it later (for example `Azure blob` or `Marketing files`).
2. Scroll to **Connection String**.
3. Paste the string you copied from Azure.
4. Click **Next โ** at the bottom.
The eye icon next to the Connection String field hides and shows the value. Use it if you need to double-check what you pasted.
If you see "authentication failed", the string probably has extra spaces or got cut off. Go back to Azure, click **Copy** on the connection string again, and paste it fresh.
***
### Step 4 โ Choose how often to sync
The panel moves you to the second tab, **Configure Records**.
Under **Sync settings** there are two choices:
* **Sync Strategy** โ leave as **Scheduled** if you want PipesHub to update on its own. Pick **Manual** if you want to press a button every time.
* **Sync Interval** โ how often PipesHub checks Azure for new files. **1 Hour** is a good starting point.
Not sure? Keep **Scheduled** and **1 Hour**. You can change it later.
***
### Step 5 โ (Optional) Narrow down what gets synced
If your storage account has lots of files you don't need, you can tell PipesHub to skip some.
Scroll to **Indexing & sync filters**. Click **+ Add filter** on the right.
A small menu opens with the fields you can filter by:
* **Container Names** โ pick specific containers
* **File Extensions** โ pick file types (e.g. PDFs only)
* **Modified Date** โ only files changed after / before / between dates
* **Created Date** โ only files created after / before / between dates
You only need filters if one of these is true:
* You want only **certain containers** (not all of them).
* You want only **some file types** (e.g. PDFs, not images).
* You want only **recent files** (say, the last year).
Common examples:
* **PDFs only** โ field: *File Extensions* ยท operator: *In* ยท value: `pdf`
* **Skip images** โ field: *File Extensions* ยท operator: *Not In* ยท value: `jpg, png, gif`
* **Only one container** โ field: *Container Names* ยท operator: *In* ยท pick the container
If you don't add any filters, PipesHub will sync every file it can read. That's fine for small accounts.
When you're done, click **Save Configuration** at the bottom of the panel.
***
### Step 6 โ Turn sync on
You're now on the **Azure Blob** instance page. You'll see one row (your new instance).
Right now it says **Sync Paused**. To start syncing:
1. Find the **Sync Enabled** toggle on the right side of the row.
2. Click it.
The status changes to **Syncing** and PipesHub starts reading your files.
***
### Step 7 โ Check progress
Click anywhere on the row to open the **Overview** panel on the right.
Here you can see:
* **Total** โ how many files PipesHub has found.
* **Failed** โ files it couldn't read (usually permission or file-type issues).
* **Processing** โ files it's still reading right now.
* **Not Started** โ files waiting their turn.
* **Sync** / **Full sync** buttons โ press if you want to run a sync right now.
* **Manage Configuration** โ open the setup panel again to change credentials or filters.
You can close the panel and come back any time โ the sync keeps running in the background.
That's it! ๐ Your Azure Blob files are now searchable in PipesHub.
