Create your workspace, upload your data, and start processing it. Using OneLake is this easy.
Although OneLake is very similar to ADLS Gen2 (probably a some type of customised deployment of it in the background), it also differs from it in more than once category. Before we start, let’s make its purpose clear: It’s a turnkey, global, managed solution for your organisational data needs. It’s not something you can deploy repeatedly, but it also doesn’t require being deployed or having its ARM template managed.
You can consider ADLS Gen2 like a big house. You can decorate it as you like, demolish and start building it again, host parties or raves, up to you. It’s yours, you manage it, you control it, you build it. It’s hands-on, but great power comes with great responsibility. You have to be very responsible when using it.
OneLake is more like a hotel. You have a predefined structure, a predefined set of rooms. Don’t get me wrong, it’s customisable: You can have as many floors as you want, and as many rooms as you want in it. But you can’t change the building structure or the floor plans. On the other hand, it’s maintained. You don’t need to clean it, care for it, repair it, maintain it. It’s all done for you.
Full Feature Comparison
| Category | OneLake | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnkey | Yes | No |
| SaaS | Yes | No |
| Requires Fabric | Yes | No |
| Deployment Style | Global | Region-Based |
| Number of instances | Only single instance tenant-wide | As many as you want (within subscription limits) |
| DFS API Support | Read/Write Supported No data update |
Read/Write/Update |
| Blob Storage Compatible | No | Yes |
| Folder Structure | Opinionated | Flexible |
| Access Tiers Support (Hot, Cool, Cold, and Archive) |
No | Yes |
| Other Storage Account Capabilities Supported |
No | Yes |
| SFTP | No | Yes |
| Storage Events (EventGrid) | No | Yes |
| Authentication & Authorisation | Azure AD (Microsoft Entra ID) | Azure AD (Microsoft Entra ID) Shared Access Signature |
| Access Control | Workspace and Item Based Compute Type Based |
Role-Based (RBAC) Attribute-Based (ABAC) Access Control Lists (ACL) |
| Private Endpoints | No | Yes |
| Soft-Delete and Delete Protection |
No | Yes |
| Compatible with Synapse and Databricks |
Yes | Yes |
| File Explorer Support | Yes | No |
| Fabric Support | Integrated | Via Shortcuts Via Data Flows |
References
