Getting Started with AWS VPC: The Complete Guide

AWS VPC allows you to create a secure, isolated section of the AWS cloud where you can launch resources in a virtual network. With AWS VPC, you have complete control over your network settings, including IP addresses, subnets, and route tables.

A VPC or virtual private cloud, is a secure private cloud hosted remotely by a public cloud provider.

VPC customers can execute programs, create websites, save data, and perform other activities like they would in a home-based private cloud.

VPC is a mix of cloud computing that is both a private and a public cloud. This permits the scalability and ease of public cloud computing while at the same time providing data security, which is typical of private clouds.

• Subnets

  • Public Subnet: Accessible from the internet, typically containing resources like web servers.

  • Private Subnet: Not directly accessible from the internet, used for resources like databases that should remain secure.

Route Tables:

Define the routes for network traffic within the VPC. Each subnet must be associated with a route table, which dictates how traffic is directed.

Internet Gateway (IGW):

A horizontally scaled, redundant component that allows communication between resources in the VPC and the internet. It must be attached to a VPC for public access.

NAT Gateway:

Allows instances in a private subnet to initiate outbound traffic to the internet while preventing unsolicited inbound traffic. Useful for accessing updates or external APIs from private resources.

Security Groups:

Virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic for resources within a VPC. They operate at the instance level and can be configured to allow or deny specific types of traffic.

Network ACLs (Access Control Lists):

Optional layers of security that act as firewalls for controlling traffic in and out of subnets. They operate at the subnet level and provide an additional level of security.

VPC Peering:

A networking connection between two VPCs that enables resources in each VPC to communicate with each other as if they are within the same network.

VPC Endpoints:

Allow private connections between a VPC and supported AWS services without using an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN connection, or AWS Direct Connect connection.

VPN Connections:

Provide secure connections between a VPC and on-premises networks, allowing for hybrid cloud setups.

AWS Direct Connect:

A service that allows for dedicated network connections from your premises to AWS, facilitating high-speed connectivity.

What is an Amazon VPC?

An Amazon VPC is a virtual network exclusively committed to your AWS account.

Your VPC is separated from other virtual networks in the AWS cloud. You may also launch AWS resources, such as EC2 instances, in your virtual private cloud, and protect your applications from local problems by launching instances in multiple availability zones.

Just like with AWS S3, there are a lot of options for security. You can also modify the IP address selection of your VPC and select your personal subnet configuration, create route tables, and then configure gateways for your network.

Isolation:

VPCs provide a logically isolated environment, ensuring that your resources are separate from others in the AWS cloud, enhancing security and compliance.

Customizable Network Configuration:

Users can create custom network architectures, including defining IP address ranges, subnets, route tables, and network gateways, tailoring the environment to specific application needs.

Enhanced Security:

With security groups and network access control lists (ACLs), users can implement fine-grained controls over inbound and outbound traffic to and from resources, ensuring only authorized access.

Connectivity Options:

VPCs support multiple connectivity options, including VPN connections, AWS Direct Connect, and VPC peering, allowing seamless integration with on-premises infrastructure and other AWS accounts.

Scalability:

AWS VPC is designed to scale automatically with your application. You can easily add or remove resources as needed without significant changes to the underlying network infrastructure.

Control Over Network Traffic:

Users can control traffic flow within their VPC, using route tables to direct traffic to different subnets or internet gateways, enhancing the performance and reliability of applications.

Support for Public and Private Subnets:

VPC allows users to create both public and private subnets, enabling flexible configurations for applications that require different levels of accessibility.

Integration with Other AWS Services:

VPC integrates seamlessly with a wide range of AWS services (e.g., EC2, RDS, Lambda), enabling users to build comprehensive cloud solutions with minimal effort.

Monitoring and Logging:

AWS VPC provides tools like VPC Flow Logs, which allow users to monitor and log network traffic, helping in troubleshooting and maintaining compliance with security policies.

Cost-Effectiveness:

Users can optimize costs by only paying for the resources they use, and features like VPC endpoints can reduce data transfer costs by allowing access to services without going through the internet.

High Availability and Fault Tolerance:

AWS VPC is designed for high availability, allowing users to deploy resources across multiple Availability Zones, ensuring resilience and redundancy.

Steps to Create a VPC

1. Open the Amazon VPC console.
2. Choose the VPC Wizard from the drop-down menu on the VPC Dashboard.
3. In Step 1, choose the VPC Configuration —> Single Public Subnet, then choose select.
4. Fill in the blanks as directed by the wizard and select build VPC:
   • - IP CIDR block: 10.0.0.0/16
   • - VPC name: ADS VPC
   • - Public subnet: 10.0.0.0/24
   • - Availability Zone: No Preference
   • - Subnet name: ADS Subnet 1
   • - Enable DNS hostnames: Leave the default selection
   • - Hardware tenancy: Default
5. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour for the VPC to be established.

Data Transfer Out to Internet: $0.09 per GB for the first 10 TB per month.

NAT Gateway: $0.045 per hour for the gateway and $0.045 per GB processed.

Site-to-Site VPN: $0.05 per hour per VPN connection and $0.09 per GB transferred out.