What does Amazon EFS provide that distinguishes it from Amazon EBS?

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) offers shared, scalable file storage accessible from multiple EC2 instances, which is a defining feature that separates it from Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS). EFS is designed for use cases where multiple instances need simultaneous access to a common file system, making it ideal for applications that require coordination or shared data, such as web servers, content management systems, or collaborative applications. This capability allows for automatic scaling of storage as needed and eliminates the need for managing storage provisioning, as it can grow or shrink dynamically.

In contrast, Amazon EBS provides block-level storage that is specifically designed to be attached to a single EC2 instance at a time, providing high-performance storage for individual applications but lacking the shared access feature inherent in EFS. While both services involve pay-as-you-go pricing and can offer data-at-rest encryption, it’s the accessibility and scalability across multiple instances that distinctly characterize EFS.