Hey everyone 👋
If you’ve ever deployed something in the cloud and wondered how users actually reach it, welcome to AWS Networking 101. This stuff isn’t just for hardcore infrastructure folks — it’s for anyone building apps, hosting websites, or connecting systems.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the key AWS networking concepts I learned in Module 5 of the Cloud Practitioner journey — including VPCs, subnets, gateways, VPNs, security layers, and even global edge services like Route 53 and CloudFront.
Let’s break it down 👇
🏰 Think of a VPC as Your Cloud Castle
In AWS, everything starts inside a VPC — your Virtual Private Cloud. It’s like a digital fortress that holds all your cloud resources: EC2s, databases, and more.
You define:
- Your IP address space (e.g. 10.0.0.0/16)
- Subnets (like dividing your castle into rooms)
- Who gets access in and out
🛡️ Public subnets = connected to the internet
🔐 Private subnets = hidden away for internal stuff (like databases)
🚪 How Do People Get In? Use Gateways
You’ll need a doorway for outside users (and systems) to connect with your cloud apps.
AWS gives you two main gateway types:
- Internet Gateway – lets the internet talk to public subnets
- Virtual Private Gateway – lets your on-premise network connect securely to AWS via a VPN
You can even combine both — say, use VPN for secure access, and Internet Gateway for website traffic.
🔐 Layered Security: NACLs vs. Security Groups
So people are knocking at the door... Who do you let in?
AWS gives you two bouncers to control this:
🛂 Network ACLs (NACLs)
- Work at the subnet level
- Stateless: every packet gets checked in AND out
- Like passport control — checks who enters and exits the country
🧍 Security Groups
- Work at the resource level (like EC2)
- Stateful: remembers allowed connections
- Like a doorman — checks guests at the front, but not when they leave
Using both gives you flexible, layered security 💪
🔌 Connecting to AWS: VPN vs. Direct Connect
If you're working from a corporate office or data center, you’ll need a secure tunnel into AWS. You’ve got two main options:
| Method | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| VPN | Encrypted tunnel over the internet | Remote workers, flexible connections |
| Direct Connect | Dedicated private line to AWS | High-bandwidth, stable workloads |
💡 Pro tip: Use both — VPN can serve as a failover if Direct Connect goes down.
🛰️ Edge Networking: Route 53 + CloudFront
Let’s say your customers are worldwide. You want your app to be fast and resilient — not stuck in one region.
That’s where AWS edge services come in:
🌐 Amazon Route 53
- AWS's DNS (Domain Name Service)
- Translates
yourapp.com→192.0.2.44 - Can route based on latency, location, or weighted rules
🚚 Amazon CloudFront
- A CDN (Content Delivery Network)
- Caches static content (like images, JS, video) at edge locations
- Makes your website/app load crazy fast no matter where users are
📦 Use both together for global performance and reliability!
🔁 Recap: What You’ll Now Recognize in the Wild
By the end of this module, I started to spot these patterns everywhere — and now you will too:
✅ VPCs to isolate your resources
✅ Subnets for public vs. private zones
✅ Security groups + NACLs for layered access
✅ VPN/Direct Connect for hybrid networks
✅ Route 53 + CloudFront for global speed
🧩 Final Thoughts
AWS networking isn’t just firewall rules and IP addresses — it’s the foundation of your cloud architecture. Once you understand how packets move around, you can design faster, safer, and more scalable systems.
Still wrapping your head around subnets, gateways, or NACLs? Same. But every demo, every diagram, every “aha” moment gets you closer.
I’ll keep learning — and if you’re doing the same, I’d love to hear how you’re building your cloud skills! Drop a comment or reach out on LinkedIn if you want to chat all things AWS ☁️💬
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