Amazon FSx
Managed specialized file systems
A family of managed file system services based on popular file systems: Windows File Server, Lustre, NetApp ONTAP and OpenZFS; AWS handles the hardware, patching and backups, while you choose capacity and performance.
- Cost$$ Medium
- Difficulty●●●●●
- Costs money when idle?Yes
- Managed by AWS
- In examsSAA · SOA
Think of it asLike renting specialized warehouses: cold storage, heavy goods, document archives — pick the right type for what you need to store.
When to use it
✓ Use it when
You need a file system with specific features EFS lacks: SMB/Windows, high-speed HPC, NetApp or ZFS.
✗ Avoid it when
You only need simple, auto-scaling NFS for Linux → EFS; storing files as objects → S3.
Common uses
- Windows file shares for employees
- High-speed storage for HPC/ML
- Migrating NetApp NAS to AWS
What does it cost?
- Pricing model: Charged per GB of storage capacity, provisioned throughput/IOPS and backups, varying by FSx type.
⚠️ Cost traps
Overprovisioning capacity or throughput from the start; you pay even when idle.
Related services
SAA-C03 study guide
FSx is covered in these study modules: