1# Data Lake Storage Gen2 — Python SDK Quick Reference
2 
3> Condensed from **azure-storage-file-datalake-py**. Full patterns (ACL management,
4> async client, directory operations, range downloads)
5> in the **azure-storage-file-datalake-py** plugin skill if installed.
6 
7## Install
8pip install azure-storage-file-datalake azure-identity
9 
10## Quick Start
11 
12> **Auth:** `DefaultAzureCredential` is for local development. See [auth-best-practices.md](../auth-best-practices.md) for production patterns.
13 
14```python
15from azure.storage.filedatalake import DataLakeServiceClient
16from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
17service_client = DataLakeServiceClient("https://<account>.dfs.core.windows.net", DefaultAzureCredential())
18```
19 
20## Best Practices
21- Use hierarchical namespace for file system semantics
22- Use `append_data` + `flush_data` for large file uploads
23- Set ACLs at directory level and inherit to children
24- Use async client for high-throughput scenarios
25- Use `get_paths` with `recursive=True` for full directory listing
26- Set metadata for custom file attributes
27- Consider Blob API for simple object storage use cases
28 
29## Non-Obvious Patterns
30```python
31# Large file upload requires append + flush
32offset = 0
33for chunk in chunks:
34	file_client.append_data(data=chunk, offset=offset, length=len(chunk))
35	offset += len(chunk)
36file_client.flush_data(offset)
37```
38