AWS makes connecting your on-premises system to the cloud architecture relatively simple. One of the most effective methods is to take advantage of already existing connectivity, that is, the Internet.
It is easy to establish a VPN connection with the AWS environment, resulting in a dependable method that can be used in most scenarios when VPN-type connectivity to AWS is desired.
Only resources within a VPC can be accessed via a VPN connection to AWS. Since each VPC is its separate network, each VPC requires its own VPN connection.
Key Takeaways
- Virtual Private Gateway connects a single Amazon VPC to an on-premises network, while Transit Gateway connects multiple VPCs and on-premises networks.
- Transit Gateway simplifies network architecture and reduces management overhead, whereas Virtual Private Gateway requires individual management for each connection.
- Transit Gateway supports more connections and has a higher throughput than Virtual Private Gateway.
Virtual Private Gateway vs Transit Gateway
The difference between the virtual private gateway and a transit gateway is that a Virtual Private Gateway is a terminal for your VPC that allows you to connect your VPC to your on-premises environment through an IPSec VPN tunnel. On the other hand, AWS Transit Gateway uses a single gateway device to connect many VPCs and on-premise networks through direct connect links or virtual private networks.
Multiple VPCs on the same account and region can have a Direct Connect thanks to VGW.
As both VPCs are in a single area and on the same account, VGW has become an option that lowered the cost of needing new Direct Connect lines for each VPC.
This configuration works with both Direct Connect and Site-to-Site VPN.
Transit Gateway’s original release does not enable Direct Connect and instead demands a Site-to-Site VPN.
Whenever TGW is used with AWS Resource Access Manager, you can utilize a single Transit Gateway among many AWS accounts, but it’s still restricted to a single region.
With the inclusion of numerous route tables, CIDR overlap is also possible.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of comparison | Virtual Private Gateway | Transit Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | It connects VPCs, AWS accounts, and on-premise networks to the central hub with ease | It connects VPCs, AWS accounts, and on-premise networks to the central hub with ease. |
| Control | Lesser control over the traffic entering your VPC’s routing path | Better control and visibility over how traffic is routed among your VPCs and on-premises network |
| Speed | There is no extra latency | Experiences a slight delay in moving packets around |
| Scalability | Complexity increases with scaling | Infrastructure is streamlined and scalable |
| Availability | Globally available | Available in limited areas |
What is Virtual Private Gateway?
The VGW provides the option to exchange a Direct Connect among many VPCs in the same area and on the same account.
Before this, every VPC required a Direct Connect Private Virtual Interface (VIF) to achieve a 1:1 correlation, which didn’t grow well enough in terms of price and administration costs.
As long as both VPCs had been in the same area and on the same account, VGW became an option that lowered the cost of needing new Direct Connect lines for each VPC.
This configuration works with both Direct Connect and Site-to-Site VPN.
Through the VPG, you can construct both dynamic and static routes.
Users can configure a private Autonomous System Number on the Amazon side of the BGP connection for VPNs and AWS Direct Connect private VIFs for any additional virtual gateways.
Once your edge router or firewall exposes BGP routing to the User Gateway (a vital step in establishing your VPN connection to function with your VPG),
the CGW replicates those acquired routes to the VPG, completing the dynamic routing circuit into your cloud.
The VPG routing concept within AWS has several inherent limits, like the number of VPN connections and BGP route designation you can give to your VPGs.
Because AWS is not checking the BGP parameters you submit, you can only provide ASN numbers inside the private ranges (64512 is the default). In addition, the VGW is limited to ten VPN connections.
What is Transit Gateway?
AWS transit gateway is a network transportation hub that uses virtual private networks or Direct Connect links to link up various VPCs and on-premise networks.
It’s an AWS-managed solution that streamlines your network by eliminating complicated peering connections. AWS accounts, VPCs, and on-premise networks are connected to the central hub.
In addition to facilitating connectivity, AWS Transit Gateway provides insight and control over how traffic is handled between your VPCs and on-premise networks. The most remarkable aspect is that it keeps track of its routes.
Only using one Transit Gateway and a good route table various services over multiple VPCs can connect.
VPCs are hosted in multiple AWS regions for major organizations, depending on their commercial use cases. To develop a hybrid network architecture, complex network routing is necessary.
You can effortlessly handle the whole of your Amazon VPCs and edge links in a specific platform with centralized monitoring and management. Developers and SREs can immediately spot problems and respond to network events.
AWS Transit Gateway generates stats and logs, which are subsequently used by platforms like Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon VPC Flow Logs to collect data on IP traffic passing through the gateway.
You can use Amazon CloudWatch to collect packet flow count, bandwidth use, and packet loss count between Amazon VPCs and a VPN connection.
Main Differences Between Virtual Private Gateway and Transit Gateway
- The virtual private gateway lets you establish an IPSec VPN connection between your VPC and your on-premises environment. The transit gateway connects VPCs, AWS accounts, and on-premise networks to the central case.
- A virtual private gateway has lesser control over the traffic entering your VPC’s routing path. Conversely, the transit gateway has better control and visibility over traffic routed among your VPCs and on-premises network.
- There is no extra latency in a virtual private gateway, while the transit gateway experiences a slight delay in moving packets around.
- Complexity increases with scaling in a virtual gateway, but transit gateway infrastructure is streamlined and scalable.
- Virtual private gateway is globally available, while transit gateway is available in specific regions only.
- https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/etd/1496/
- https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/virtual-private-networks/143967
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Reading between the lines, it’s evident that the Transit Gateway could be a game-changer for managing network infrastructure in major organizations. A compelling read!
Absolutely! Especially when considering the centralized monitoring and management it offers.
While the post seems well-detailed, it lacks proper comparison between Virtual Private Gateway and Transit Gateway, which is essential for decision-making on choosing between the two options.
Exactly! The post needs to provide more comprehensive information about the differences between the two gateways to be more informative.
If the post covered that, it would have been immensely beneficial for those considering implementing these gateways.
Nice article, very informative! I appreciate the detailed comparison between Virtual Private Gateway and Transit Gateway.
The post offers a clear distinction between the Virtual Private Gateway and the Transit Gateway; I find it very helpful and insightful.
The cost reduction and efficiency achieved with VGW for Direct Connect among multiple VPCs within the same account and region is truly impressive.
Indeed, the cost-saving aspect and reduced administration are standout points in the article.
I think it’s great how AWS makes connecting your on-premises system to the cloud architecture relatively simple.
Yes, I agree. The simplicity of establishing a VPN connection with the AWS environment for most scenarios is very promising.