Overview
AWS Transfer Family sends data in and out of Amazon S3 or Amazon EFS using the FTP protocol, without the S3 APIs or the EFS network file system.
Supported protocols:
| Protocol | Details |
|---|---|
| AWS Transfer for FTP | File Transfer Protocol, unencrypted |
| AWS Transfer for FTPS | FTP over SSL, encrypted in flight |
| AWS Transfer for SFTP | Secure File Transfer Protocol, encrypted in flight |
FTP, FTPS or SFTP interface in front of S3 or EFS -> Transfer Family. FTP is unencrypted; FTPS and SFTP are encrypted in flight.
Transfer Family also supports AS2, SFTP and AS2 connectors, and browser-based web apps. FSx for NetApp ONTAP is a supported storage target (2026-01). The course lists only FTP, FTPS and SFTP in front of S3 or EFS. AWS source
Features
- Fully managed, scalable, reliable, highly available infrastructure.
- Pricing: pay per provisioned endpoint per hour plus a fee per GB transferred in and out.
- Credentials: store and manage users' credentials within the service, or integrate an existing authentication system: Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP, Okta, Amazon Cognito or any custom source.
- Use cases: share files, share public datasets, CRM, ERP.
Architecture
- Users connect through the Transfer Family endpoints (three flavors). Optionally use Route 53 to provide your own host name.
- The service assumes an IAM role to read or write files in S3 or EFS, transparently.
- To secure access, authenticate users with an external system such as Active Directory or LDAP.
Transfer Family architecture
Questions & Answers
Q1: How to give FTP access to an S3 bucket or EFS?
Answer:
AWS Transfer Family.
Q2: Which protocols are encrypted?
Answer:
FTPS and SFTP. Plain FTP is not.
Q3: How is Transfer Family priced?
Answer:
Per provisioned endpoint per hour, plus per GB transferred in and out.
Check yourself
Quiz
Flashcards
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