Arius Explorer is a Windows desktop application (WPF) that gives you a graphical view into your Arius repository. It shows the state of every file — locally and in Azure — without requiring you to run CLI commands or open Azure Storage Explorer.
Arius Explorer is a Windows-only application. It requires .NET 9 and Windows to run. The Arius CLI and Docker image are cross-platform alternatives for non-Windows systems.
Installation
Arius Explorer is distributed via ClickOnce. Click the install link below to download and run the installer:
Install Arius Explorer via ClickOnce
ClickOnce handles installation and keeps the application up to date automatically. No manual update steps are required.
Connecting to a repository
When Arius Explorer opens, enter your Azure storage details to connect:
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Account name | The name of your Azure Storage account |
| Account key | The access key for your storage account (available in the Azure portal under Access keys) |
| Container | The blob container name (default: arius) |
Status icons
Each file in the tree has a status icon made up of two half-circle indicators:
- Left half — state on the local file system
- Right half — state in the Azure repository
The icon codes use Y (present) and N (not present) for each of: local binary, local pointer, Azure pointer, Azure binary — abbreviated as a four-letter code.
| Icon code | Local file system | Azure repository | Meaning |
|---|
| NNYC | Not present | Pointer and binary | File exists only in Azure; no local trace |
| NYYC | Pointer only | Pointer and binary | Pointer file is local; binary is in Azure only |
| YYYC | Pointer and binary | Pointer and binary | Fully synced; file present locally and in Azure |
--remove-local is NYYC: the original binary has been removed locally and replaced by a pointer, while the full content is safely stored in Azure.
After a full restore with --download, the state becomes YYYC: the binary is present both locally and in the Azure repository. 