AWSAmazon FSxStorage

`aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system` cost estimation

A managed OpenZFS file system for NFS workloads with ZFS features, billed per GB of SSD capacity plus throughput. 64 GB Single-AZ is ~$5.76/month.

An aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system provides fully-managed OpenZFS — NFS shared storage for Linux workloads with ZFS capabilities like snapshots, clones, and compression. Cost is provisioned SSD capacity per GB-month (~$0.09/GB-month Single-AZ) plus provisioned throughput, with Multi-AZ deployments costing more for cross-zone durability. A small 64 GB Single-AZ file system is ~$5.76/month; real deployments scale with capacity.

OpenZFS is typically the lowest-cost FSx flavor for straightforward NFS — cheaper per GB than ONTAP and without the Windows/SMB licensing of FSx for Windows. ZFS compression reduces the effective stored footprint, and snapshots/clones are space-efficient (only changed blocks consume space), which keeps capacity needs down.

The levers are the familiar storage ones: provision SSD to the working set (compression helps), use Single-AZ where cross-AZ durability isn't required, enable compression, and size throughput to actual bandwidth rather than over-provisioning.

c3x prices the file system from storage_capacity and deployment_type, so the provisioned cost — including the Multi-AZ premium — is visible before deployment.

Terraform example

A minimal but realistic configuration that C3X can estimate.

resource "aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system" "data" {
  storage_capacity    = 64
  subnet_ids          = [aws_subnet.app.id]
  deployment_type     = "SINGLE_AZ_1"
  throughput_capacity = 64

  root_volume_configuration {
    data_compression_type = "ZSTD"
  }
}

Pricing dimensions

What you actually pay for when you provision aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system.

Dimension	Unit	What's being charged
SSD storage	per GB-month	Provisioned SSD capacity. Single-AZ is cheaper than Multi-AZ. ZFS compression reduces the effective footprint. ~$0.09/GB-month (Single-AZ SSD) → 64 GB ≈ $5.76/month
Throughput capacity	per MB/s-month	Provisioned independently of storage. Size to actual bandwidth need.

Sample C3X output

A 64 GB Single-AZ OpenZFS file system (small example):

aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system.data
└─ SSD storage (Single-AZ)   64 GB-month   $5.76
                             Monthly       $5.76

Optimization tips

Common ways to reduce aws_fsx_openzfs_file_system cost without changing the workload.

Enable ZFS compression

Proportional to compression ratio

OpenZFS supports inline compression (LZ4/ZSTD), shrinking the effective stored footprint and the SSD capacity you provision. Effective for compressible data with minimal performance impact.

Use Single-AZ where cross-AZ durability isn't needed

Difference between Single-AZ and Multi-AZ

Single-AZ is cheaper than Multi-AZ. Use Multi-AZ for production needing failover; Single-AZ for dev/test, scratch, and non-critical NFS.

Right-size capacity and throughput

Proportional to over-provisioning avoided

You pay for provisioned SSD and throughput, not used bytes. Provision the working set (compression helps) and match throughput to actual bandwidth rather than over-allocating.

Use snapshots/clones for space-efficient copies

Avoids duplicate capacity for copies

ZFS snapshots and clones store only changed blocks, so test/dev copies of a dataset don't duplicate full capacity. Cheaper than provisioning separate file systems.

FAQ

How is FSx for OpenZFS billed?

Provisioned SSD capacity per GB-month (~$0.09 Single-AZ, more for Multi-AZ) plus provisioned throughput. A 64 GB Single-AZ file system is ~$5.76/month. ZFS compression reduces the effective footprint you provision.

Is OpenZFS the cheapest FSx option?

Often, for NFS workloads — it's typically cheaper per GB than ONTAP and avoids the Windows/SMB licensing of FSx for Windows. With compression and space-efficient snapshots, the effective cost can be lower still. Choose by protocol: OpenZFS for NFS/Linux.