AWS Transfer Family

AWS Transfer Family servers (SFTP, FTPS, FTP) can become a significant source of hidden costs. Unlike most AWS services, Transfer Family servers continue to incur charges even when stopped.

Implementation Effort: Medium - Estimated time: 1-2 hours. Verify no active file transfer workflows depend on the server, then delete to stop recurring charges.

What We Detect

• Stopped servers -- Transfer Family servers in OFFLINE or STOPPING state that are still being billed at ~$219/month

Why It Matters

Stopping a Transfer Family server does not stop billing. The endpoint continues to cost ~$0.30/hour regardless of state. This behavior catches many users off guard. The only way to stop charges is to delete the server entirely.

Recommendations

1. Delete the server if it's no longer needed
2. Start the server if it should be actively serving traffic
3. Tag for exception if the stopped state is intentional and temporary

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Keep on chasing 🧡