Microsoft Azure → Amazon Web Services
AWS equivalent of Azure Files
The closest AWS equivalents of Azure Files are Amazon EFS and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.
About Azure Files
| Provider | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|
| Status | Generally available |
| What it is | Fully managed SMB (2.1 to 3.1.1) and NFS 4.1 file shares, either classic shares in a storage account or top-level Microsoft.FileShares shares (NFS on SSD only, GA June 2026). Identity-based SMB access through AD DS, Entra Domain Services, or Entra Kerberos. |
| Documentation | learn.microsoft.com |
| Pricing | Official pricing page |
AWS mappings (2)
| Capability | AWS equivalent | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Serverless NFS file system for Linux | Amazon EFS | Partial match |
| Managed SMB / Windows file shares | Amazon FSx for Windows File Server | Partial match |
Managed file systems(2)
Serverless NFS file system for Linux Partial match
Microsoft maps Amazon EFS to Azure Files with NFS 4.1 shares. Both are managed NFS services, but EFS grows automatically and bills for what you store, while Azure Files NFS shares are SSD-only and provisioned.
- Billing. EFS is elastic and billed on stored data by storage class, plus throughput charges. Azure Files NFS uses SSD shares, and Microsoft recommends the provisioned v2 model (you set storage, IOPS, and throughput) for new shares.
- Tiers. EFS has Standard, Infrequent Access, and Archive storage classes with lifecycle policies. Azure Files NFS has no colder tier.
- Redundancy. EFS Regional stores data across multiple AZs, and One Zone uses a single AZ. Azure Files NFS supports LRS and ZRS, but not GRS or GZRS.
Managed SMB / Windows file shares Partial match
Microsoft maps Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to Azure Files over SMB. FSx runs real Windows Server file servers for you, while Azure Files is a serverless SMB service that authenticates through AD DS, Microsoft Entra Domain Services, or Microsoft Entra Kerberos.
- Architecture. FSx provisions Windows file servers (Single-AZ or Multi-AZ) with SSD or HDD storage and a set throughput capacity. Azure Files has no servers to size. Classic shares sit in a storage account and scale with the billing model you pick.
- Windows features. FSx supports DFS namespaces, shadow copies, data deduplication, and user storage quotas. Azure Files supports share snapshots, but not every Windows Server file-server feature.
- Identity. Both can join on-premises AD or a managed directory. Azure Files can also use Microsoft Entra Kerberos for hybrid identities.