VPC Peering in AWS
VPC Peering allows you to connect two Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) directly, enabling resources in each VPC to communicate with each other using private IP addresses. Here’s how it works:
- Private Connection: Traffic between peered VPCs remains private and doesn’t traverse the public internet.
- No Single Point of Failure: Since VPC peering uses AWS’s infrastructure, there’s no single point of failure for network communication.
- Cost-Effective: Inter-region peering is free for data transfer within an AWS region but charged for cross-region peering.
Benefits of VPC Peering
- Security: Enhances network security by isolating traffic.
- Performance: Reduces latency as traffic stays within AWS’s network.
- Simplified Management: Manages connectivity without complex VPN setups.
How to Set Up VPC Peering
To establish a peering connection:
- Initiate Peering: One VPC must initiate the peering request.
- Accept Peering: The other VPC must accept the request.
- Configure Routes: Update route tables in both VPCs to route traffic through the peering connection.
Limitations
- No Transitive Peering: If VPC A peers with B and B with C, A cannot reach C through B.
- IP Overlap: VPCs cannot have overlapping IP address ranges.
VPC Peering is a powerful tool for AWS users looking to expand their network capabilities securely and efficiently across different VPCs or even across different AWS accounts.