Transfer Family
💡 Definition
AWS Transfer Family is a fully managed service that enables the transfer of files directly into and out of S3 or EFS using standard transfer protocols: SFTP (Secure Shell File Transfer Protocol), FTPS (File Transfer Protocol over SSL), and FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
🔑 Key Concepts
- Managed Service: AWS manages the infrastructure for the file transfer servers.
- Standard Protocols: Supports legacy protocols widely used in B2B data exchange.
- Direct to Storage: Files are stored directly in your S3 buckets or EFS file systems.
- Seamless Migration: Allows you to move file transfer workflows to AWS without changing existing applications or client configurations.
⚙️ How it Works
- Create Server: You create a Transfer Family server endpoint.
- Map Users: You map your users (using SSH keys or passwords) to IAM roles and S3 buckets/EFS directories.
- Transfer: Users connect using their standard FTP/SFTP clients (like FileZilla) and upload/download files.
🎯 Use Cases
- B2B Data Exchange: Receiving invoices, medical records, or media files from partners.
- Migration: Moving legacy FTP/SFTP workflows to the cloud.
- Data Lake Ingestion: Providing a simple interface for third parties to upload data to your data lake.
💰 Pricing Model
- Endpoint: Charged per hour for the server endpoint.
- Data Transfer: Charged per GB of data uploaded and downloaded.
📝 Exam Tips (CLF-C02)
- Keywords: "SFTP", "FTPS", "FTP".
- Used to upload directly to S3 using these standard protocols.
- Fully managed, replaces running your own FTP servers on EC2.