ReleaseBytes
aws AWS What's New ·

AWS KNFSD File Cache enters preview to accelerate NFS performance

infraawspreviewengineerfinanceenergyaws-ec2
feature announcement

AWS has announced the preview of KNFSD File Cache, an open-source solution to deploy a high-speed NFS cache on AWS. This service offers significant performance gains for read-heavy workloads by caching data in memory and on local NVMe storage, reducing latency for compute fleets. It supports various NFS sources and clients, is built on standard Linux technologies, and is available across all AWS Regions, with users only paying for consumed resources.

  • →KNFSD File Cache offers scalable, high-speed NFS caching on AWS
  • →Designed for read-heavy burst compute workloads
  • →Automated deployment and scaling with AWS services
  • →Integrated monitoring with CloudWatch and OpenTelemetry
  • →Supports diverse NFS sources and versions for broad compatibility
Features (4) ›
  • KNFSD File Cache offers scalable, high-speed NFS caching on AWS

    KNFSD File Cache is an open-source, Apache-2.0 licensed solution for deploying a scalable, high-speed NFS cache on AWS. It mounts exports from various NFS servers and re-exports them to clients in AWS, caching frequently read data in memory and local NVMe storage for faster access.

  • Designed for read-heavy burst compute workloads

    KNFSD File Cache is optimized for workloads such as visual effects rendering, simulation, financial services, health and life sciences, microprocessor design, weather forecasting, and energy sectors. It allows files to be served at local VPC speed, dramatically improving performance over high-latency links.

  • Automated deployment and scaling with AWS services

    Deployment involves building a cache AMI with Packer and deploying the cluster using a provided Terraform module. Cache nodes run in an EC2 Auto Scaling group, with traffic distribution via DNS or Network Load Balancer, and optional automatic scaling.

  • Integrated monitoring with CloudWatch and OpenTelemetry

    An Amazon CloudWatch dashboard offers over 70 metrics via an OpenTelemetry-based agent, which can also publish to third-party tools like Prometheus and Grafana.

Enhancements (2) ›
  • Supports diverse NFS sources and versions for broad compatibility

    The solution can front multiple on-premises filers, in-cloud file systems like Amazon FSx for OpenZFS and NetApp ONTAP, and any other NFS v3, v4.1, or v4.2 compliant filer. It fully supports the NFS client-server protocol, including byte-range reads/writes and various write modes.

  • Leverages standard Linux kernel technology for robustness

    The cache builds upon nfs-kernel-server for NFS re-export and FS-Cache for persistent disk caching, utilizing the native NFS stack for full protocol support.

Read the original announcement →

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2026/07/knfsd-file-cache/

Related releases