AWS Virtual Interfaces
AWS Virtual Interfaces are a feature of AWS Direct Connect that allow you to connect your on-premises network to AWS through a dedicated connection. Virtual Interfaces enable you to connect to your Amazon VPC or AWS services with lower latency and improved bandwidth compared to traditional internet connections.
Key Features
- Private Virtual Interface: Connects directly to your Amazon VPC using a private IP address. Ideal for accessing AWS resources within your VPC securely and with low latency.
- Public Virtual Interface: Provides access to AWS public services such as Amazon S3, Amazon DynamoDB, and others using public IP addresses. Suitable for accessing AWS services over a dedicated connection without going through the internet.
- Transit Virtual Interface: Allows you to connect to multiple VPCs across different AWS accounts using AWS Transit Gateway. Provides simplified network management and scalability.
- Bandwidth Options: Offers various bandwidth options, from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps, to match your network requirements.
- High Availability: Supports multiple virtual interfaces for redundancy and failover to ensure continuous connectivity.
Architecture Overview
The following diagram illustrates how AWS Virtual Interfaces integrate with AWS Direct Connect and your on-premises network:
- Direct Connect Connection: A dedicated, high-bandwidth connection between your on-premises network and AWS.
- Virtual Interfaces: Configured to access either private IP addresses (Private Virtual Interface) or public IP addresses (Public Virtual Interface).
- Amazon VPC: For Private Virtual Interfaces, securely connects to resources within your VPC.
- AWS Public Services: For Public Virtual Interfaces, access services such as S3 and DynamoDB.
- AWS Transit Gateway: For Transit Virtual Interfaces, enables connections to multiple VPCs and AWS accounts.
Use Cases
- High-Performance Applications: Use Private Virtual Interfaces to connect mission-critical applications in your VPC with low latency and high throughput.
- Secure Data Transfer: Utilize Private Virtual Interfaces to securely transfer data between your on-premises data center and AWS, avoiding the public internet.
- Access AWS Public Services: Use Public Virtual Interfaces to connect to AWS services over a dedicated line, ensuring stable and reliable access.
- Multi-Region Connectivity: Implement Transit Virtual Interfaces to connect multiple VPCs across regions or accounts, simplifying network architecture and management.
Integration with Other AWS Services
AWS Virtual Interfaces integrate with various AWS services to provide a robust networking solution:
- Amazon VPC: Connects your on-premises network directly to your VPC for secure and efficient access to AWS resources.
- AWS Transit Gateway: Enables you to manage and scale connections between multiple VPCs and on-premises networks through a central hub.
- AWS Direct Connect Gateway: Allows you to connect your Direct Connect connection to multiple VPCs and accounts using private virtual interfaces.
- AWS CloudWatch: Monitors and logs the performance and status of your Direct Connect connections and virtual interfaces.
- AWS CloudTrail: Provides logging and auditing of API calls made to manage your Direct Connect connections and virtual interfaces.