Question:
What is Amazon Elastic File System (EFS), and how is it different from Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)?
Options:
a. EFS is a fully managed, scalable file storage for AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources, while EBS provides persistent block-level storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances.
b. EFS is used for backing up and storing data in S3, while EBS is used for creating and managing Amazon EC2 instances.
c. EFS is used for creating and managing Amazon EC2 instances, while EBS provides fully managed, scalable file storage for AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources.
d. EFS provides persistent block-level storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances, while EBS is a fully managed, scalable file storage for AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources.
Correct Answer:
✅ Option a: EFS is a fully managed, scalable file storage for AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources, while EBS provides persistent block-level storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances.
Explanation:
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS):
- Type: File storage
- Purpose: Provides shared, scalable, and fully managed file storage for multiple EC2 instances and on-premises servers.
- Use Case: Ideal for applications requiring a shared file system, such as web hosting, big data analytics, and containerized applications.
- Scalability: Automatically scales up or down based on demand.
- Access: Supports multiple EC2 instances simultaneously (NFS-based).
Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS):
- Type: Block storage
- Purpose: Provides persistent, high-performance block-level storage for a single EC2 instance.
- Use Case: Suitable for databases, application storage, and workloads requiring low-latency, high-performance block storage.
- Scalability: Fixed size per volume; can be resized manually.
- Access: Can only be attached to a single EC2 instance at a time.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect?
❌ Option b: EFS does not store backups in S3, and EBS is not used for managing EC2 instances—it only provides storage for them.
❌ Option c: EFS is not used for managing EC2 instances, and EBS is block storage, not a scalable file system.
❌ Option d: EFS is not block storage, and EBS is not a scalable file system for multiple instances.
Key Takeaways:
✅ EFS is shared, scalable file storage for multiple EC2 instances.
✅ EBS is persistent, block-level storage attached to a single EC2 instance at a time.
✅ Use EFS for shared storage, and EBS for high-performance, low-latency storage for individual instances.