What is the difference between AWS VPN and Direct Connect?

May 26, 2023

Summary

This article provides an overview of the key differences between AWS VPN and AWS Direct Connect. It discusses the performance, connectivity options, and cost considerations of both services.

AWS VPN vs. AWS Direct Connect

When it comes to connecting your on-premises network to AWS resources, you have two options: AWS VPN and AWS Direct Connect. While both services provide secure connectivity, there are some important differences to consider.

Key Points

1. Performance

AWS VPN offers a performance capability of up to 4 Gbps, while AWS Direct Connect provides performance starting from 50 Mbps and scaling up to 100 Gbps. If you require higher bandwidth throughput, Direct Connect is the better option.

2. Connectivity

AWS Direct Connect establishes a dedicated network connection between your network and AWS resources, bypassing the internet. On the other hand, AWS VPN uses the internet to securely connect your on-premises network to AWS. This means that Direct Connect can offer a more consistent network experience and lower latency compared to VPN.

3. Cost

Cost considerations depend on the volume of data and the required connectivity. In general, AWS VPN is less expensive than AWS Direct Connect. If you need a permanent, dedicated connection with higher bandwidth, Direct Connect might be more cost-effective.

4. Use Cases

AWS VPN is suitable for most use cases and provides secure connectivity over the internet. However, if you have high-throughput workloads or strict latency requirements, AWS Direct Connect is the preferred choice. It is also beneficial for organizations that want to reduce network costs and ensure consistent performance.

Questions and Answers

1. What is the difference between AWS VPN and AWS Direct Connect?

Compared to AWS VPN, Direct Connect offers higher performance and a dedicated network connection between your network and AWS resources.

2. Does AWS Direct Connect use VPN?

Yes, you can combine AWS Direct Connect connections with an AWS-managed VPN solution, such as AWS Site-to-Site VPN.

3. What are the two types of VPN in AWS?

AWS VPN consists of AWS Site-to-Site VPN, which connects on-premises networks to Amazon VPC, and AWS Client VPN, which enables secure connections for users to AWS or on-premises networks.

4. Can I use Direct Connect and VPN simultaneously for the same VPC?

Yes, but only for failover purposes. Direct Connect and VPN can be used together to provide redundancy and backup connectivity.

5. Why would you use AWS Direct Connect?

AWS Direct Connect offers dedicated, private network connections that can reduce network costs, increase bandwidth throughput, and provide a more consistent network experience compared to internet-based connections.

6. Is AWS Direct Connect cheaper than VPN?

The cost of AWS Direct Connect depends on the volume of data and required connectivity. In some cases, Direct Connect can be more cost-effective, especially for organizations that require permanent connectivity with high throughput.

7. Why would you use VPN over Direct Connect?

AWS VPN is generally less expensive than Direct Connect and offers greater flexibility. VPN can use any network transport the customer has, whereas Direct Connect requires a dedicated connection.

8. What are the different types of VPN?

There are four main types of VPN: Personal VPN, Mobile VPN, Remote Access VPN, and Site-to-Site VPN. Each type serves different purposes based on user connectivity requirements.

9. Which type of VPN does AWS use?

AWS uses AWS Client VPN, which utilizes the secure TLS VPN tunnel protocol to encrypt traffic and provides users with access to all AWS and on-premises resources.

10. What is the difference between VPC and VPN?

VPN operates at the network layer, providing secure communication between devices over public networks. In contrast, VPC operates at the infrastructure layer, allowing users to create and manage virtual network environments within a cloud computing platform.

11. When should you use AWS Direct Connect?

AWS Direct Connect is particularly useful for high-throughput workloads that generate significant network traffic between on-premises infrastructure and AWS Cloud. If you require consistent and reliable connectivity, then Direct Connect is a good choice.

12. What is the difference between Cloud Connect and Direct Connect?

Cloud Connect allows you to utilize your private network for connecting to the cloud, offering convenience and enhanced data protection. Direct Connect, on the other hand, establishes dedicated connections between your network and AWS resources, bypassing the public internet.

13. Is Direct Connect a VPN?

No, AWS Direct Connect is not a VPN itself. However, you can combine Direct Connect with an AWS-managed VPN solution, such as AWS Site-to-Site VPN, to enhance connectivity and security.

What is the difference between AWS VPN and Direct Connect?

What is the difference between AWS VPN and AWS Direct Connect

The key differences between AWS Direct Connect and VPN

Compared with Direct Connect, AWS VPN performance can reach 4 Gbps or less. The performance of Direct Connect starts from 50 Mbps and expands to 100 Gbps.

Does AWS Direct Connect use VPN

With AWS Direct Connect + AWS Site-to-Site VPN , you can combine AWS Direct Connect connections with an AWS-managed VPN solution. AWS Direct Connect public VIFs establish a dedicated network connection between your network and public AWS resources such as an AWS Site-to-Site VPN endpoint.

What are the two types of VPN AWS

AWS VPN is comprised of two services: AWS Site-to-Site VPN and AWS Client VPN. AWS Site-to-Site VPN enables you to securely connect your on-premises network or branch office site to your Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC). AWS Client VPN enables you to securely connect users to AWS or on-premises networks.

Can I use AWS Direct Connect and a VPN connection to the same VPC simultaneously

AWS Direct Connect bypasses the internet; instead, it uses dedicated, private network connections between your network and AWS. Q: Can I use AWS Direct Connect and a VPN Connection to the same VPC simultaneously Yes, but only for failover.

Why would you use AWS Direct Connect

AWS Direct Connect makes it easy to establish a dedicated connection from an on-premises network to one or more VPCs. AWS Direct Connect can reduce network costs, increase bandwidth throughput, and provide a more consistent network experience than internet-based connections.

Is Direct Connect is cheaper

If the volume of data means that AWS Direct Connect is less expensive, and you require permanent connectivity, AWS Direct Connect is the optimal connectivity choice.

Why use VPN over Direct Connect

Cost: An AWS VPN is less expensive than AWS Direct Connect. In addition, AWS Direct Connect does not offer a VPN option that is priced by the hour. Time to execution: VPN can use whatever network transport the customer has.

What are the 4 main types of VPN

VPN Type	Connection type
Personal VPN	Individual connects via a VPN server to the internet
Mobile VPN	Individual connects to the internet via a private network
Remote access VPN	The user connects to a private network
Site-to-site VPN	Private network connects to another private network

Feb 2, 2023

Which type of VPN is used by AWS

AWS Client VPN uses the secure TLS VPN tunnel protocol to encrypt the traffic. A single VPN tunnel terminates at each Client VPN endpoint and provides users access to all AWS and on-premises resources.

What is the difference between VPC and VPN

VPN operates at the network layer, providing secure communication between devices over public networks. VPC operates at the infrastructure layer, allowing users to create and manage virtual network environments within a cloud computing platform.

Why use AWS Direct Connect

When would you want to use direct connect

AWS Direct Connect is useful for those who have high throughput workloads, so if you've got high volumes of network traffic between on-premises infrastructure and AWS Cloud, you probably do need to use AWS Direct Connect.

What is the difference between cloud connect and direct connect

The main difference between direct connect and the previous solutions is the transition from public to private. With cloud connect, you can utilize your private network for cloud connection. Not only is this more convenient, but it also helps protect your data.

Is Direct Connect a VPN

Keep in mind, however, that VPN connectivity utilizes the public Internet, which can have unpredictable performance and despite being encrypted, can present security concerns. AWS Direct Connect bypasses the public Internet and establishes a secure, dedicated connection from your infrastructure into AWS.

Is DirectAccess better than VPN

Microsoft Direct Access and VPNs both provide secure remote access to corporate network resources, but they differ in a number of ways. Direct Access provides a more seamless user experience, as it allows users to connect to corporate resources without having to manually initiate a VPN connection.

What is the difference between always on VPN and DirectAccess

Windows 10 Always On VPN includes support for granular traffic filtering. Where DirectAccess provides access to all internal resources when connected, Always On VPN allows administrators to restrict client access to internal resources in a variety of ways.

What are the two common VPN types used

IPsec and SSL are two of the most common VPN protocols used to set up encryption.

What is the difference between VPN types

Intranet vs extranet-based VPN

Site-to-site VPNs come in two different flavors. The intranet-based VPN is for connecting to a single WAN or wide-area network, like a company's private network. Meanwhile, an extranet-based VPN connects different private networks and does not use a WAN.

What are two components of an AWS VPN connection

A Site-to-Site VPN connection consists of the following components:A virtual private gateway or a transit gateway.A customer gateway device.A customer gateway.

What is direct connect gateway in AWS

The Direct Connect gateway uses a private virtual interface for the connection to the AWS Direct Connect location. There is an AWS Direct Connect connection from the location to the customer data center.

What is the difference between VPN and peering in AWS

While VPN is used to connect networks over the internet, VPC peering is a quick and affordable solution to link VPCs located in the same or different Amazon accounts. Both offer a safe means of sending data across a network, but they are different in terms of network design, security, cost, and complexity.

What is the disadvantage of VPC

One of the main disadvantages of using VPC is cost. While VPC can offer many benefits, it can also be costly to set up and maintain, especially for small businesses or startups.

Is Direct Connect cheaper

If you have bandwidth-heavy workloads that you wish to run on AWS, AWS Direct Connect can reduce your network costs into and out of AWS in two ways. First, by transferring data to and from AWS directly, you can reduce your bandwidth costs paid to your internet service provider.

What is the advantage of DirectAccess over VPN

DirectAccess is a more cost-effective alternative to VPN. DirectAccess can be deployed on existing infrastructure (physical or virtual) and does not require proprietary hardware. This makes it much easier and far less expensive to add additional capacity, if required.

What is the difference between the different types of VPNs

Intranet based VPN: When several offices of the same company are connected using Site-to-Site VPN type, it is called as Intranet based VPN. Extranet based VPN: When companies use Site-to-site VPN type to connect to the office of another company, it is called as Extranet based VPN.