AWS Transfer Family
- Type
- Specialized
- Launched
- 2018
A managed service providing file transfers to S3 and EFS via SFTP, FTPS, FTP, and AS2 protocols
What It Does
AWS Transfer Family is a fully managed service that provides file transfers to S3 buckets and EFS file systems using SFTP, FTPS, FTP, and AS2 protocols. You can migrate backend storage to AWS without changing existing file transfer workflows.
Use Cases
File exchange with business partners (EDI, invoices, purchase orders), SFTP-based data integration from legacy systems, secure file exchange with partner companies, and file uploads for batch processing.
Everyday Analogy
Think of a PO box at the post office. Partners (clients) send files the same way they always have (SFTP), and the PO box (Transfer Family) automatically stores received files in the warehouse (S3). Partners don't need to know about the warehouse.
What Is Transfer Family?
AWS Transfer Family provides managed servers for file transfer protocols. Instead of building and operating your own SFTP server, Transfer Family handles server management, scaling, and high availability. Transferred files are stored directly in S3 or EFS, and Lambda triggers can automate downstream processing.
Authentication and Customization
User authentication supports three methods: Transfer Family service-managed authentication (SSH keys), AWS Directory Service integration, and custom authentication (API Gateway + Lambda). Custom authentication lets you integrate with existing authentication infrastructure. Logical directory mapping can assign different S3 prefixes as home directories per user.
Getting Started
Create a server in the Transfer Family console and select the protocol (SFTP, FTPS, FTP). Specify the endpoint type (public, VPC), create users, and register SSH public keys. Designate an S3 bucket as storage, and you can send and receive files from any SFTP client.
Things to Watch Out For
- Server endpoint hourly charges (~$0.30/hour) apply continuously (as of August 2026). Watch costs if usage is infrequent
- FTP protocol is unencrypted - use SFTP or FTPS when security requirements apply
Available Regions
AWS Transfer Family is available in 37 Regions (as of 2026-10-09).
Asia Pacific: Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Singapore, Sydney, Jakarta, Melbourne, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand
North America: Canada (Central), Canada West (Calgary), Mexico (Central), US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (N. California), US West (Oregon)
South America: São Paulo
Europe: Frankfurt, Zurich, Stockholm, Milan, Spain, Ireland, London, Paris
AWS European Sovereign Cloud: Germany
Middle East: Israel (Tel Aviv), UAE, Bahrain
Africa: Cape Town
AWS GovCloud (US): AWS GovCloud (US-East), AWS GovCloud (US-West)
References (Official AWS Resources)
The primary sources for this page are the official AWS website and documentation. Check the official pages below for the latest specifications and pricing.
If this page and the official documentation disagree, treat the official documentation as authoritative.
