Software Alternatives & Startups

AWS Lambda VS Amazon Elastic File System

Compare AWS Lambda VS Amazon Elastic File System and see what are their differences

AWS Lambda

Automatic, event-driven compute service

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Amazon Elastic File System

Amazon Elastic File System is a cloud-native and serverless data store that provides simple saleable elastic shared file storage for Linux-based business applications.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, AWS Lambda seems to be a lot more popular than Amazon Elastic File System. While we know about 297 links to AWS Lambda, we've tracked only 26 mentions of Amazon Elastic File System.

social mentions
297 vs 26
Cloud Computing popularity
96% vs 4%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 93

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

AWS Lambda
Amazon Elastic File System
Website aws.amazon.com aws.amazon.com
Pricing
Open source
—
Company — Startup from the United States
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

AWS Lambda 6 features
Amazon Elastic File System 6 features
  • Scalability
    AWS Lambda automatically scales your application by running your code in response to each trigger. This means no manual intervention is required to handle varying levels of traffic.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    You only pay for the compute time you consume. Billing is metered in increments of 100 milliseconds and you are not charged when your code is not running.
  • Reduced Operations Overhead
    AWS Lambda abstracts the infrastructure management layer, so there is no need to manage or provision servers. This allows you to focus more on writing code for your applications.
  • Flexibility
    Supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Node.js, Ruby, Java, Go, and .NET, which allows you to use the language you are most comfortable with.
  • Integration with Other AWS Services
    Seamlessly integrates with many other AWS services such as S3, DynamoDB, RDS, SNS, and more, making it versatile and highly functional.
  • Automatic Scaling and Load Balancing
    Handles thousands of concurrent requests without managing the scaling yourself, making it suitable for applications requiring high availability and reliability.

Possible disadvantages

  • Cold Start Latency
    The first request to a Lambda function after it has been idle for a certain period can take longer to execute. This is referred to as a 'cold start' and can impact performance.
  • Resource Limits
    Lambda has defined limits, such as a maximum execution timeout of 15 minutes, memory allocation ranging from 128 MB to 10,240 MB, and temporary storage up to 512 MB.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using AWS Lambda ties you into the AWS ecosystem, making it difficult to migrate to another cloud provider or an on-premises solution without significant modifications to your application.
  • Complexity of Debugging
    Debugging and monitoring distributed, serverless applications can be more complex compared to traditional applications due to the lack of direct access to the underlying infrastructure.
  • Cold Start Issues with VPC
    When Lambda functions are configured to access resources within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), the cold start latency can be exacerbated due to additional VPC networking overhead.
  • Limited Execution Control
    AWS Lambda is designed for stateless, short-running tasks and may not be suitable for long-running processes or tasks requiring complex orchestration.
  • Scalability
    Amazon EFS automatically scales your file system storage capacity up or down as you add or remove files, which helps meet varying workload demands without the need for manual intervention.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, Amazon EFS handles storage infrastructure management tasks such as hardware provisioning, patching, and performance tuning, enabling users to focus on application development.
  • Elasticity
    Amazon EFS provides elastic storage capacity, so you only pay for the storage you use, which can result in cost savings and greater efficiency compared to traditional file systems.
  • Multi-AZ Resilience
    Amazon EFS is designed to be highly-available and resilient with data redundantly stored across multiple Availability Zones, ensuring durability and availability of critical workloads.
  • POSIX-Compliant
    EFS offers a POSIX-compliant file system which makes it compatible with a wide range of legacy and modern applications, easing integration and migration processes.
  • Integration with AWS Services
    It seamlessly integrates with other AWS services such as EC2, ECS, and Lambda, providing users with a cohesive and comprehensive cloud ecosystem for building and deploying applications.

Possible disadvantages

  • Higher Latency
    Compared to other storage services like EBS, Amazon EFS might exhibit higher latency due to its network file system nature, potentially impacting performance-sensitive applications.
  • Cost
    Amazon EFS can be more expensive than alternatives like Amazon S3 or EBS, especially for workloads with lower IOPS requirements, due to its pricing model based on storage and access.
  • Consistency Model
    While EFS offers eventual consistency for write operations from multiple connections, this can lead to potential data visibility issues if not managed carefully in concurrent write scenarios.
  • Mount Targets Limitation
    Each Amazon EFS file system can have a limited number of mount targets per VPC, potentially restricting its usability for environments with a large number of instances across multiple subnets.
  • Limited Windows Support
    Amazon EFS is primarily designed for Linux-based workloads, which can pose challenges or require additional configurations when used with Windows-based applications.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

AWS Lambda
Amazon Elastic File System

Overall verdict

  • AWS Lambda is a strong choice for developers looking for scalable, event-driven applications with minimal management overhead. It is particularly beneficial for applications that experience intermittent traffic or unpredictable workloads.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Lambda is a popular serverless computing service because it allows users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. It automatically scales applications by running code in response to triggers such as HTTP requests, changes in data, or system events. This can significantly reduce operational overhead and costs, as you only pay for the compute time you consume.

Recommended for

  • Developers building microservices or serverless applications.
  • Companies looking to reduce infrastructure management.
  • Startups wanting to quickly deploy applications with limited operational costs.
  • Organizations needing to integrate with other AWS services for a comprehensive solution.
  • Projects with unpredictable or variable workloads that require automatic scaling.

No analysis of Amazon Elastic File System yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

AWS Lambda 3 videos + Add
Amazon Elastic File System 2 videos + Add

AWS Lambda Vs EC2 | Serverless Vs EC2 | EC2 Alternatives

More videos

  • - AWS Lambda Tutorial | AWS Tutorial for Beginners | Intro to AWS Lambda | AWS Training | Edureka
  • - AWS Lambda | What is AWS Lambda | AWS Lambda Tutorial for Beginners | Intellipaat

AWS EFS Tutorial | Amazon Elastic File System | AWS Storage Services | AWS Training | Edureka

More videos

  • - What's New with Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS)

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
AWS Lambda
Amazon Elastic File System
96% 96%
4% 4%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

AWS Lambda no reviews yet
Amazon Elastic File System no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Amazon Elastic File System yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

AWS Lambda 297 mentions
Amazon Elastic File System 26 mentions

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Alternatives to AWS Lambda and Amazon Elastic File System

When comparing AWS Lambda and Amazon Elastic File System, you can also consider the following products.