Understanding Amazon EFS Access Points

Introduction

Amazon EFS provides a simple, scalable, elastic file storage for use with AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources. While EFS is incredibly versatile and can scale on-demand to petabytes without disrupting applications, managing access to file systems securely can be a challenge. This is where EFS Access Points come in, offering a fine-grained access control mechanism for applications and users to access EFS file systems.

What are EFS Access Points?

EFS Access Points are application-specific entry points into an EFS file system that make it easier to manage access for different applications or users. They work by enforcing a specified POSIX user and group, and optionally restricting access to a specific directory within the file system. This means we can tailor the file system access permissions for different applications or user groups, ensuring secure and organized data access.

Real-World Use Cases

Imagine running a web application that stores user data such as profiles, documents, and images. Different application components—user profile, document management, and image processing service—require access to different directories within our EFS file system. EFS Access Points can segregate access for these services securely, ensuring they only have access to the necessary directories.

Basic Steps to Start Using EFS Access Points

Here’s a simple guide to start with EFS Access Points, using a web application as a real-world example.

Step 1: Create Our EFS File System

If we haven't already, the first step is to create an EFS file system in the AWS Management Console. Navigate to the EFS dashboard and click "Create file system." Follow the prompts to configure our file system according to our needs.

Step 2: Create an Access Point

Once our file system is ready, we can create an access point:

1. Go to the EFS dashboard in the AWS Management Console.
2. Select our file system, then click “Access Points” from the sidebar.
3. Click “Create Access Point.”
4. Configure the access point:
   • Name: Give our access point a descriptive name.
   • POSIX User: Define the user and group IDs that will be applied when accessing the file system through this access point. For instance, UID: 1001, GID: 1001.
   • Root Directory: Specify the path that this access point maps to within our EFS file system. For our web application example, we might have /user_profiles for user profile data.
   • Optionally, we can set permissions for the root directory and create a policy for additional access control.

Step 3: Update Our Application’s AWS Configuration

To use the access point, update our application's AWS configuration to include the access point ID when mounting the EFS file system. This will direct our application to use the access point as the entry point to the EFS file system.

Step 4: Test Our Setup

Before going live, ensure to test our setup. Try accessing the EFS file system through the access point from our application to verify that the access controls are working as expected.

Conclusion

EFS Access Points are a powerful feature for managing access to shared data in a scalable and secure manner. By following the steps above, you can begin leveraging EFS Access Points for your applications, ensuring that each component has the right access to the right data. This not only enhances security but also simplifies data management across your application stack.

See also

For a practical guide on EFS access points, refer to cloudericks.com/blog/getting-started-with-amazon-efs-access-points-a-hands-on-guide.