AWS Direct Connect

AWS Direct Connect enables a direct, dedicated connection between your internal network and AWS, bypassing internet service providers for a faster, more secure link. This setup uses a high-speed Ethernet fiber-optic cable which connects directly from your network's router to an AWS Direct Connect router at an AWS location. With this dedicated connection, you can create virtual interfaces to access AWS services, such as Amazon S3 or Amazon VPC in a streamlined manner.

What is AWS Direct Connect?

AWS Direct Connect is a cloud service that provides businesses with a secure, high-bandwidth, and low-latency connection from their on-premises infrastructure directly to AWS services. By bypassing the public internet, it ensures private, more reliable, and secure data transfer. This direct connection is typically set up using fiber-optic cables or Ethernet links to AWS Direct Connect locations, ensuring better network performance and security for mission-critical applications.

How AWS Direct Connect Works

AWS Direct Connect works by creating a dedicated physical connection between your on-premises network and an AWS Location. This connection uses fiber and ethernet cables to link your network directly to an AWS router, avoiding the public internet. Once the physical connection is in place, a virtual interface (VIF) is set up to create a secure connection between your network and AWS, allowing you to access AWS services easily and securely.

Setting Up AWS Direct Connect

The following are steps to be followed to set up a Direct Connect connection to your on-premises network or data center:

Step 1: Connect an AWS Direct Connect Location

Select an AWS Direct Connect location that is closest to your infrastructure. AWS provides a list of available locations on the Direct Connect portal.

Step 2: Select a Network Service Provider

Pick a network service provider from the AWS Direct Connect Partners page. This provider will bridge the connection between your on-premises network and AWS. When choosing, consider factors like bandwidth and location.

Step 3: Provision a Dedicated Network Connection

Provision a dedicated network connection between your infrastructure and the chosen service provider’s location. This physical link ensures the high performance and reliability of your AWS connection.

Step 4: Configure the Virtual Interface

Log in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to Direct Connect. Create a virtual interface by providing the VLAN ID, routing, and other configuration details. Once completed, your AWS Direct connect connection will be ready to access AWS service services such as Amazon VPC and Storage Services.

AWS Management Console -> Direct Connect -> Create virtual interface

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Go to the Direct Connect section
3. Create a virtual interface by providing the VLAN ID, routing and other required details.

After configuring the virtual interface you can now access the various AWS services such as creating VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), storage and many more.

Components of AWS Direct Connect

We Discussed some important component of AWS direct connect

• Direct Connect Location: Physical data centers where the Direct Connect connection is established.
• Cross Connect: The physical cable linking your network to the Direct Connect location.
• Virtual Interface (VIF): Logical connections over Direct Connect for accessing AWS services, either private or public.
• Direct Connect Gateway: Routes traffic between your on-premises network and multiple VPCs across AWS regions.
• Router/Customer Gateway: On-premises router connecting to Direct Connect, typically using BGP for routing.

Benefits of Using AWS Direct Connect

• It provides a connection with high bandwidth and low latency, hence reliability and performance are increased.
• Since a dedicated private connection is established completely bypassing the public internet hence adds to the security of your connection.
• Data transfer over AWS Direct Connect is very cost-effective as compared to using the typical public network.

Use Cases of AWS Direct Connect

In the accompanying image, you can see how AWS Direct Connect enables a secure private connection between customer data centers and AWS. Two Direct Connect locations are set up to ensure high availability and redundancy. This configuration can support mission-critical workloads and provide continuity even if one connection experiences downtime. Each Direct Connect location connects back to the AWS Region's Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) where AWS resources can be directly accessed. This setup highlights the flexibility and reliability of AWS Direct Connect for businesses that require a constant and private connection to their AWS environment enhancing performance and security across multiple use cases.

Monitoring Tools

To ensure optimal performance, AWS offers several monitoring tools for Direct Connect:

1. Tagging: Apply key-value tags to organize and manage your Direct Connect resources.
2. CloudTrail Integration: Track all Direct Connect API calls as events for auditing and troubleshooting.
3. CloudWatch Metrics and Alarms: Monitor key metrics like bandwidth usage and latency, and set up alerts for any unusual activity.

The provided graph shows Virtual Interface Bits Activity over time, highlighting data flow trends that help in managing performance and addressing potential issues proactively. Effective monitoring ensures reliable, secure Direct Connect operations.

Difference Between AWS Direct Connect vs Site to Site VPN

Pricing of AWS Direct Connect

There is no minimum setup fee for AWS Direct Connect, you have to pay for what you use. Pricing is based on three factors:

1. Capacity: It is the maximum rate at which can be transferred through the network, capacity of a connection is measured in megabits per second(Mbps) or gigabits per second(Gbps).

2. Port hours: It measures the time for which a port is allocated for use with AWS, even when do transfer is happening at that time you are charged for port hours, Port hours depend on two factors namely, dedicated connection or hosted connection.

• Dedicated connections: physical connections from your premises port to the AWS network port. These are billed as long as they are allocated for use, you can request for dedicated connection through the AWS Direct Connect section of the AWS Management Console.
• Hosted connections: logical and you can request for hosted connection by directly contacting your Delivery Partner.

3. Data transfer out (DTO): It refers to the total traffic out of the AWS from your network and is charged per gigabyte (GB).

4. Data Transfer In (DTI): Just opposite of the DTO, it is the total traffic received in the network from outside the AWS.

Alternatives of AWS Direct Connect

Apart from AWS Direct Connect, many other companies provide the facility of a Virtual Private Network, various such companies which are comparable and can be considered as an alternative for AWS, are Hostwinds, Cloudways, Aviatrix, etc.

Conclusion

AWS Direct Connect provides a secure, high-performance, and cost-effective solution for businesses to connect their on-premises network directly to AWS cloud services. By bypassing the public internet, it ensures low latency, enhanced security, and reliable data transfer for mission-critical applications. Ideal for hybrid cloud environments, disaster recovery, and high-bandwidth workloads, AWS Direct Connect offers improved network performance and cost savings.

With flexible pricing, easy setup, and the ability to monitor performance via AWS CloudWatch, AWS Direct Connect is a must-have for businesses looking to optimize their cloud infrastructure and improve overall efficiency. Embrace AWS Direct Connect today for a more secure cloud network and reliable AWS connection.