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Home/Questions/Cloud/Tools/What is the difference between S3 and EFS? When would you use each?

What is the difference between S3 and EFS? When would you use each?

Cloud/Toolseasy0.5 min readPremium

**S3**: Object storage. Key-value; eventual consistency (strong for new overwrites). No filesystem. Use for data lake, backup, static assets. Cheaper at scale ($0.023/GB). **EFS**: File system (NFS). Shared across EC2/ECS/Lambda. Use when apps need POSIX, shared storage, or...

🤖 Analyze Your Answer
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
179
questions in Cloud/Tools
Difficulty Split
104E|27M|48H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Wipro
Key Concepts Tested
etl

Why This Question Matters

This easy-level Cloud/Tools question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like Wipro. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (etl) will help you answer variations of this question confidently.

How to Approach This

Start by clearly defining the core concept being asked about. Interviewers want to see that you understand the fundamentals before diving into implementation details. Structure your answer with a definition, then explain the practical application with a concise example.

Expert Answer
90 words

S3: Object storage. Key-value; eventual consistency (strong for new overwrites). No filesystem. Use for data lake, backup, static assets. Cheaper at scale ($0.023/GB). EFS: File system (NFS). Shared across EC2/ECS/Lambda. Use when apps need POSIX, shared storage, or random write. Trade-off: EFS is more expensive; S3 is cheaper and scales infinitely. EFS when you need mount point, multi-writer, or legacy app compatibility. Use S3: Data lakes, ETL outputs, backups. Use EFS: Shared config, ML checkpoints, multi-container persistence. Cost: EFS ~$0.30/GB; S3 ~$0.023. At 1 TB, EFS ~$300 vs S3 ~$23.

The complete answer continues with detailed implementation patterns, architectural trade-offs, and production-grade considerations covering performance optimization and real-world examples.

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According to DataEngPrep.tech, this is one of the most frequently asked Cloud/Tools interview questions, reported at 1 company. DataEngPrep.tech maintains a curated database of 1,863+ real data engineering interview questions across 7 categories, verified by industry professionals.

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