We all know Amazon web service for its renowned services. Yet yesterday it outdid itself by launching the AWS cloud services’ elastic file system (EFS). It is meant to upgrade and maximize performance of the amazon public cloud. In a world that people are turning to cloud infrastructure to maximize their business performance, this could not be less than timely. It was earlier launched in 2015 for preview but was not available to the market.
- It is now available to the world for use. It has many features including
- It is scalable and the best part about it is that it automatically scale when you add files.
This means it can grow big or small depending on whether you have few or many files. The more you add the more it grows. It still support the client connection and does not affect at all the performance of the business. This was enabled due to the public demand as the AWS spokesperson stated.
- It ensures you files are available and one can easily access it.
It can support any types of file from heavy to light, from simple to complex files. This include content management, web services, media content and many more.
It is very easy to deploy even for the Amazon Web Services users, this is because it has a simple user interface.
- It is compatible to any type of OS.
- The file system can burst up to 100 MB/s
- It is meant for long term because it has been designed to be durable.
We cannot forget the security. One is able to maximize the security. No one can easily access the file systems without the POSIX permission. This separate the authorized and unauthorized users.
EFS has 2 types of modes, this include the default mode which is for general purpose and Max I/O mode which is for higher latencies files. You can choose whatever option depending on what suits you best. During the launch AWS recommended it would be good to start with the default mode then later shift to Max I/O mode.
There are 3 different regions where one can get the AWS elastic file system this include: Oregon on the western side of United States, Northern Virginia on the eastern side of United States and Ireland in Europe. The EFS comes in affordable price. It starts at 0.30 dollars per GB and if you are an Amazon Web Service free tier user you get 5 GB of the EFS for free every month.
It has its limitations as well, the EFS does not work with the EC2 running the windows. Each customer can only have 10 file systems. With each file system there is only 3 GB per second across all client. It has up to 128 active users that can access file at the same time. This is at single instance, if it is multiple instance then it only means many people can access the documents and files. But the AWS spokesperson dealt with the issue by saying this number can be raised in case you as the customer request.
About Author

Ingrid Riddle is a writer who focuses on bridging the gap between the digital and physical world. She loves helping others understand how to use technology to make their lives easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. Ingrid has a degree in Computer Science and a knack for making complex tech topics accessible to a broader audience. She has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, and several other tech publications. She currently works at a tech education startup and lives in Georgia. In her free time, Ingrid enjoys traveling, playing board games, and going for long walks.