AWS Tutorial For Beginners: Intro To Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

VPC, or Virtual Private Cloud, is the AWS service that allows you the ability to setup networks on Amazon’s infrastructure. You can create multiple subnets and restrict access from the Internet to specific subnets, protecting backend, sensitive data from direct access.

A typical case study for VPC would be a web server in an Internet accessible subnet that access data from a database in a non-Internet accessible subnet. In this arrangement only the web server can talk to the database, preventing attackers from attempting to hack into potentially sensitive data directly from the Internet.

Other case studies include subnets accessible by only trusted partner networks which can be used to create a hybrid of corporate and AWS networks.

All of this networking and communication comes without the need to physically install any components. All of these services operate on Amazon’s infrastructure, making services available in near on demand timelines. Establishing a VPC is a matter of configuration not construction when using AWS.

Benefits to You

What this means for your business is, as soon as you have a need for a cloud based network there is no lead time to begin constructing and testing it. Simply start with the AWS VPC console and put together the components you need. No delays or lost productivity while you wait on hardware to be delivered, racks to be assembled, or cabling to be run.

You can scale your network as large as you want, spinning up additional resources in minutes. If your capacity demand shrinks, simply turn off the resources you aren’t using. You’re only billed for what you use so your expenses can be matched to your usage needs. No more investing in spare capacity for peak usage periods.