AWS Virtual Private Cloud Overview | Generated by AI
What is VPC in AWS?
Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a foundational AWS service that allows you to create a logically isolated section of the AWS Cloud where you can launch and manage your AWS resources, such as EC2 instances, databases, and load balancers. It essentially gives you a private, customizable virtual network environment within AWS, similar to how you’d set up a traditional data center network but with the scalability and security of the cloud.
Key Components and Features
- Subnets: Divide your VPC into smaller segments (public or private) to organize resources and control access.
- Isolation: Your VPC is dedicated to your AWS account and isolated from other VPCs, ensuring security and compliance.
- IP Addressing: You define your own IP address range (CIDR block) and can use IPv4, IPv6, or both.
- Routing and Gateways: Includes route tables, internet gateways (for public access), NAT gateways (for private outbound traffic), and VPC peering for connecting multiple VPCs.
- Security: Built-in tools like security groups (instance-level firewalls) and network ACLs (subnet-level firewalls) to control inbound/outbound traffic.
Why Use VPC?
By default, all AWS resources are launched into a VPC (you can’t opt out anymore). It provides control over networking, enhances security by keeping resources private, and supports hybrid setups (e.g., connecting to on-premises data centers via VPN or Direct Connect). It’s essential for production workloads to avoid exposing resources directly to the internet.
For hands-on setup, check the AWS Management Console or CLI to create your first VPC.