Identifying file services (for example, Amazon Elastic File System [Amazon EFS], Amazon FSx)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers several file storage services to meet the needs of different types of applications and use cases. Two core file services provided are Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) and Amazon FSx, each with its features and use cases. Identifying when to use each can be critical for optimal performance and cost efficiency.

Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS)

Amazon EFS provides a simple, scalable, and fully managed elastic NFS file system for use with AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources. It supports the NFS protocol, meaning that it’s compatible with any Linux-based workloads that require a file system. EFS is designed to be highly available and durable, and it provides straightforward scaling capabilities, allowing storage capacity to grow and shrink automatically as you add and remove files.

Features of Amazon EFS:

• Simple to Use: EFS is designed to provide a simple, scalable file system for Linux-based workloads.
• Elastic and Scalable: Automatically scales without the need to provision storage or manage capacity.
• Performance: It offers two performance modes, General Purpose and Max I/O, which can be chosen based on your workload’s performance needs.
• Highly Durable and Available: Designed for 99.999999999% (11 9’s) of durability and is built to be highly available and resilient.

Use cases for EFS:

• Managed file storage for containerized applications.
• Content management and web serving.
• Data analytics applications.
• File storage for serverless applications.

Amazon FSx

Amazon FSx provides fully managed third-party file systems with native compatibility and feature sets. There are two main types of Amazon FSx:

1. Amazon FSx for Windows File Server: This is meant for organizations that want fully managed native Microsoft Windows file systems. It provides built-in integration with Microsoft Active Directory and supports SMB protocol.
2. Amazon FSx for Lustre: A high-performance file system optimized for fast processing of workloads, such as machine learning, high-performance computing (HPC), video processing, and financial modeling.

Features of Amazon FSx:

• Fully Managed: Amazon manages the underlying file storage infrastructure, simplifying the administration of file systems.
• Compatibility: Offers compatible features for specific workloads (e.g., native Windows features or Lustre’s HPC capabilities).
• Built-in Backup: Both Amazon FSx for Windows File Server and Amazon FSx for Lustre come with capabilities to take backups, which can be automated or taken manually.

Use cases for Amazon FSx:

• For FSx for Windows File Server:
  • Enterprise applications requiring Windows-native file storage.
  • Home directories and user shares within a Windows-based environment.
• For FSx for Lustre:
  • High-performance computing (HPC) workloads.
  • Machine learning and media data processing tasks.

Comparison Table

To illustrate the differences between Amazon EFS and Amazon FSx, consider the following table:

Understanding when to use Amazon EFS or Amazon FSx is critical for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner candidates. Consider the type of workload, performance needs, and management capabilities when choosing the appropriate file service. Each service is tailor-made for specific scenarios, and knowing the right fit helps in designing cost-effective and efficient cloud architectures.