AWS Transfer Family
AWS Transfer Family provides fully managed SFTP, FTPS, and FTP file transfers directly into and out of S3 or EFS. No need to run file-transfer servers.
What is Transfer Family? (Simple Explanation)
Transfer Family is an AWS service in the Storage category. AWS Transfer Family provides fully managed SFTP, FTPS, and FTP file transfers directly into and out of S3 or EFS.
When Would You Use Transfer Family?
- B2B file exchange and EDI workflows
- Data ingestion from partners and vendors
- Legacy FTP/SFTP workload migration
- Media and content ingest pipelines
Who Uses Transfer Family?
From startups to enterprises, Transfer Family powers:
What Makes Transfer Family Powerful
Transfer Family Pricing & Free Tier
Free Tier: 5GB Standard storage, 20,000 GET requests, 2,000 PUT requests (12 months). After that, ~$0.023/GB/month.
Transfer Family Best Practices
- 1Block all public access by default (never grant s3:* to *)
- 2Enable versioning and MFA delete on critical buckets
- 3Use lifecycle policies to automatically tier to Glacier after 90 days
- 4Encrypt at rest with SSE-KMS (not SSE-S3)
- 5Enable S3 Access Logs or CloudTrail data events for audit trail
Getting Started with Transfer Family in 5 Minutes
- 1Open the AWS Console and navigate to Transfer Family
- 2Click "Create bucket" or "Create file system"
- 3Name your resource (globally unique for S3) and choose a region
- 4Configure public access settings (block all public access by default) and click "Create"
Transfer Family CLI Quick Reference
2 production-ready commands. Full CLI Library (225+ services) →
aws transfer-family helpView all Transfer Family CLI v2 commands and subcommandsaws transfer-family describe-transferfamily --helpView options for describing Transfer Family resourcesPros & Cons of Transfer Family
Pros
- SFTP, FTPS, FTP protocol support
- S3 or EFS backends for stored data
- Authentication via Service Managed, AD, LDAP, or Cognito
- Automatic scaling and high availability
- PGP decryption on ingest
Cons
- ✕Storage costs compound over time — data tends to grow, not shrink
- ✕Cross-region replication adds latency and egress costs
- ✕Inexperienced users can accidentally expose data publicly (misconfigured bucket policies)
Transfer Family vs Alternatives
Transfer Family vs S3
Choose Transfer Family for B2B file exchange and EDI workflows and Data ingestion from partners and vendors. It excels at sftp, ftps, ftp protocol support.
Choose S3 as an alternative when your requirements differ. Each service in the Storage category serves different architectural patterns.
Services That Work with Transfer Family
Transfer Family is rarely used alone. It is typically combined with:
Compliance & Security
How AWS Transfer Family fits into major compliance standards. Browse all 41 frameworks →
Transfer Family configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults.
NIST 800-53Transfer Family access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families.
PCI DSS 4.0Transfer Family encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments.
SOC 2Transfer Family security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria.
ISO 27001Transfer Family configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Transfer Family
What is AWS Transfer Family?
AWS Transfer Family provides fully managed SFTP, FTPS, and FTP file transfers directly into and out of S3 or EFS. No need to run file-transfer servers.
What is Transfer Family used for?
Transfer Family is commonly used for: B2B file exchange and EDI workflows; Data ingestion from partners and vendors; Legacy FTP/SFTP workload migration; Media and content ingest pipelines. It's a core service in the storage category of AWS.
Is Transfer Family free?
Free Tier: 5GB Standard storage, 20,000 GET requests, 2,000 PUT requests (12 months). After that, ~$0.023/GB/month.
What are the key features of Transfer Family?
Transfer Family's most important capabilities include: SFTP, FTPS, FTP protocol support. S3 or EFS backends for stored data. Authentication via Service Managed, AD, LDAP, or Cognito. Automatic scaling and high availability. PGP decryption on ingest. Each of these is designed to help teams b2b file exchange and edi workflows.
How does Transfer Family compare to alternatives?
Transfer Family competes with both AWS-native alternatives (S3, EFS, Route 53) and third-party equivalents. The right choice depends on your specific requirements for scalability, cost, and operational overhead. See the comparisons section below for detailed guidance.
Which compliance frameworks apply to Transfer Family?
CIS AWS v3.0: Transfer Family configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults. NIST 800-53: Transfer Family access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families. PCI DSS 4.0: Transfer Family encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments. SOC 2: Transfer Family security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. ISO 27001: Transfer Family configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
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