Filesystem (Reference) vs AWS S3 Tables MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two Files & Storage servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Filesystem (Reference) Official MCP reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	AWS S3 Tables MCP Server Official AWS Labs MCP server to manage and query S3 Tables (table buckets, namespaces, tables). Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Files & Storage	Files & Storage
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	74k	9.2k
Last commit	5 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`uvx awslabs.s3-tables-mcp-server@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Pick AWS S3 Tables MCP Server if you prefer its approach (official aws labs mcp server to manage and query s3 tables (table buckets, namespaces, tables)).

Add Filesystem (Reference)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem-reference": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/absolute/path/to/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add AWS S3 Tables MCP Server

Install / run

uvx awslabs.s3-tables-mcp-server@latest

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-s3-tables-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.s3-tables-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1",
        "AWS_PROFILE": "<your-aws-profile>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or AWS S3 Tables MCP Server — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick AWS S3 Tables MCP Server if you prefer its approach (official aws labs mcp server to manage and query s3 tables (table buckets, namespaces, tables)).

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and AWS S3 Tables MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Filesystem (Reference) and AWS S3 Tables MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Filesystem (Reference) →View AWS S3 Tables MCP Server →More comparisons →