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AWS Transfer Family

AWS Transfer Family provides managed SFTP, FTPS, FTP, AS2, and browser-based file transfer workflows backed by Amazon S3 or Amazon EFS.

Explore pricing models, common use cases, infrastructure support, and the AWS services that commonly work with AWS Transfer Family.

AWS Transfer Family pricing and cost programs

Pricing model: Managed endpoint and transfer usage

On-Demand
Available
Reserved Instances or reserved capacity
Not applicable
Savings Plans
Not applicable
Spot
Not applicable

Billing dimensions: Endpoint hours · Data processed · Workflow actions · Connectors

Programs and modes: SFTP, FTPS, and FTP endpoints · AS2 · Managed workflows · Connectors

Protocols, endpoint types, connectors, and workflow actions have distinct dimensions.

Free Tier: Service-specific — verify current offers

Pricing reviewed 2026-07-25. Reviewed against the linked official AWS pricing page. Recheck regional rates and program terms before purchase.

Official AWS pricing

Official AWS sources reviewed 2026-07-21.

Why implement AWS Transfer Family?

  • Preserves common business-to-business transfer protocols while removing server patching, endpoint scaling, and protocol daemon operations.
  • Stores files directly in S3 or EFS so transfers can enter AWS analytics, processing, archive, and event-driven workflows without an intermediate file server.
  • Supports service-managed or external identities, managed workflows, custom hostnames, VPC endpoints, and protocol security policies.

How to implement AWS Transfer Family

  1. Choose protocols, S3 or EFS storage, a public or VPC-hosted endpoint, and a service-managed, directory, or custom identity provider.
  2. Create per-user roles and scoped home directories, select an explicit current security policy, configure host keys, certificates, DNS, and storage encryption.
  3. Enable logging, alarms, managed workflows, and downstream events; test each partner client, authentication path, directory boundary, and failure case.

AWS Transfer Family best practices

  • Use SFTP, FTPS, or AS2 when encryption is required, select the newest client-compatible security policy, and avoid unencrypted FTP unless the risk is explicitly accepted.
  • Scope every user's IAM role and session policy to required storage paths, protect keys and credentials, and restrict VPC endpoints and security groups.
  • Log authentications and file activity, rotate keys and certificates, validate uploaded files before processing, and test workflow exceptions and partner retries.

AWS Transfer Family use cases and server impact

  • Partner and vendor SFTP exchange
  • EDI and AS2 workflows
  • Modernizing legacy managed file-transfer servers

Replaces managed file-transfer servers and protocol software while preserving partner-facing protocols and customer responsibility for identity and file authorization.

Official implementation resources

Commonly paired AWS services