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AWS VPC Beginner to Pro - Virtual Private Cloud Tutorial

freeCodeCamp.org・106 minutes read

Amazon VPC allows launching AWS resources in isolated virtual networks, with Neil Davis teaching a course covering beginner to expert topics like IP address ranges, routing, and security groups. The course is beneficial for certification exam preparation and covers essential concepts like subnetting, route tables, VPC peering, and setting up VPN connections for secure data transmission.

Insights

  • Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows launching AWS resources in a defined isolated virtual network, essential for controlling network access and security.
  • Understanding IP addressing basics is crucial for working with Amazon VPC and AWS, as IP addresses are fundamental for computer communication, resolved through domain name systems (DNS).
  • VPC peering enables communication between instances in different VPCs using private IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, necessitating unique cider blocks and a full mesh topology for successful connections.
  • Direct Connect offers private connectivity to AWS regions with VPCs via physical fiber connections, providing benefits like network control, increased speed, and improved bandwidth for organizations.

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Recent questions

  • What is Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

    Amazon VPC allows launching AWS resources in an isolated virtual network, providing control over defining IP address ranges, creating subnets, security, and routing within AWS.

  • How are IP addresses structured?

    IP addresses are structured in binary octets, with network and host portions determined by subnet masks. Understanding IP addressing basics is crucial for working with Amazon VPC and AWS.

  • What is the purpose of security groups and network ACLs in VPC?

    Security groups and network ACLs act as firewalls in VPC, with security groups operating at the instance level and ACLs at the subnet level, controlling inbound and outbound traffic for enhanced security.

  • What is VPC peering and its limitations?

    VPC peering allows communication between instances in different VPCs using private IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, but does not support transitive peering, requiring a full mesh topology for connectivity between multiple VPCs.

  • How can VPC flow logs aid in network monitoring?

    VPC flow logs capture IP traffic data at different levels like VPC, subnet, or interface, stored in CloudWatch or Amazon S3, aiding in troubleshooting, security analysis, and monitoring network traffic within the VPC.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Master Amazon VPC with Neil Davis"

  • Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows launching AWS resources in a defined isolated virtual network.
  • Neil Davis, an experienced AWS instructor, teaches a course on Amazon VPC.
  • The course covers beginner to expert levels, focusing on defining IP address ranges, creating a VPC, and launching resources.
  • Topics include routing, VPC security groups, network access control lists, VPN connections, and more.
  • The video is part of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect associate goals, beneficial for certification exam preparation.
  • Supplementary videos on Digital Cloud Training's YouTube channel cover client VPN and site-to-site VPN creation.
  • Understanding IP addressing basics is crucial for working with Amazon VPC and AWS.
  • IP addresses are essential for computer communication, resolved through domain name systems (DNS).
  • IP addresses are structured in binary octets, with network and host portions determined by subnet masks.
  • Classes of IP addresses (A, B, C) and private IP address ranges are explained, along with subnetting using CIDR for optimized IP space.

14:34

"VPC Networking Essentials: Routing, Security, Peering"

  • The router manages data connections and ensures they reach the correct destination.
  • Route tables configure the VPC router by specifying destinations and targets for networks.
  • An internet gateway is necessary for sending data out to the internet, known as egress traffic.
  • Each VPC has a cider block, a master block of addresses from which subnets are created.
  • Subnets have different subnet masks within the overall cider block, allowing for specific address assignments.
  • Security groups and network ACLs act as firewalls, with security groups operating at the instance level and ACLs at the subnet level.
  • VPCs are virtual networks in AWS, offering control over defining cider blocks, creating subnets, security, and routing.
  • Cider block size ranges from /16 to /28 subnet mask, should not overlap with existing blocks, and must be planned carefully.
  • VPC Wizard simplifies VPC creation with pre-configured options like a VPC with a single public subnet.
  • VPC peering connects VPCs for private routing, emphasizing the importance of avoiding overlapping cider blocks.

28:12

VPC Setup Options and Configuration Essentials

  • VPC setup involves public and private subnets, requiring a NAT gateway for private instances to access the internet.
  • NAT gateway needs an elastic IP allocation ID for configuration.
  • Another VPC setup includes public and private subnets with hardware VPN access, requiring a VPN device in the corporate data center.
  • VPN setup involves specifying customer gateway IP for connection establishment.
  • A third VPC option involves only a private subnet with hardware VPN access, connecting corporate data center to AWS without internet routing.
  • Custom VPC creation includes a 10.0.0.0 network with 16-bit subnet mask, creating private and public subnets associated with specific availability zones.
  • Private subnets have a dedicated route table, while public subnets use the main route table with an attached internet gateway.
  • Instances in public subnets are set to automatically receive public IP addresses.
  • Creation of subnets involves specifying VPC, subnet names, availability zones, and cider blocks.
  • Route tables are configured for private subnets, internet gateway attachment, and routing settings for public subnets to access the internet.

41:12

Launching Instances in Public and Private Subnets

  • A command is pasted and run successfully, resulting in an instance running in US East 1a.
  • Information can be viewed by scrolling down the page.
  • Checking EC2 shows an instance running in 1a, labeled as public 1a.
  • Subnet ID for public 1b is obtained from the VPC Management Console and used in a file.
  • The command is copied and pasted for public 1b, resulting in a pending instance.
  • An instance is launched in the private subnet using the subnet ID for private 1v.
  • Connectivity is tested between instances in public subnets and private subnets.
  • A web page is accessed from a public instance, confirming internet connectivity.
  • Ping tests are conducted between instances in different subnets, proving two-way connectivity.
  • The web page is accessed from an instance in the private subnet, demonstrating internet connectivity and port 80 access.

54:10

"Network Security: Rules and Restrictions Explained"

  • Web front end only allows traffic from public lb on port 80
  • Outbound traffic from web front end goes to security group private lb on port 8080
  • Private lb security group only allows inbound traffic from public EC to security group
  • Private lb security group only allows outbound traffic to private EC security group
  • Security groups are set up to restrict access between application layers
  • Network ACLs have inbound and outbound rules, supporting allow and deny rules
  • Rules in Network ACLs are processed in numbered order
  • Once a rule allows or denies traffic, processing stops
  • Security groups are immediately effective, while Network ACLs may have a delay
  • Deny rules in Network ACLs can be used to restrict specific traffic, but may have varying application times

01:06:37

Establishing VPC Peering Connections in AWS

  • VPC peering allows communication between instances in different VPCs using private ipv4 or ipv6 addresses via the AWS global network.
  • Cider blocks for VPCs must not overlap to establish VPC peering connections successfully.
  • VPC peering does not support transitive peering, necessitating a full mesh topology for communication between multiple VPCs.
  • Setting up VPC peering involves creating peering connections between VPCs, updating route tables, and configuring security groups.
  • To establish a VPC peering connection, one must create a peering connection in the console, update route tables, and configure security group rules.
  • Before initiating the VPC peering connection, ensure the VPCs have unique cider blocks and subnets set up.
  • Testing VPC peering involves launching instances, creating security groups with specific rules, and updating route tables for connectivity.
  • Security groups must be set up with rules for ICMP and SSH protocols to allow communication between instances in different VPCs.
  • Route tables need to be configured to direct traffic to the correct VPC using the peering connection.
  • The process involves creating security groups, launching instances, assigning security groups, and updating route tables for successful VPC peering connections.

01:19:23

"Configuring Route Tables for Private IP Connectivity"

  • Switch to the DCT production account
  • Choose the main route table
  • Add a route for 10.0.0.0/16
  • Specify peering connection for the route
  • Update route tables
  • Ensure security groups have rules for protocols based on private IP addresses
  • Test connectivity using private IP addresses
  • Connect to instance in management account
  • Ping 10.1.1.21 successfully
  • Enable SSH connection and confirm port is open

01:32:31

Secure AWS Endpoint Access with Bucket Policy

  • To ensure proper functioning, check the contents of the bucket.
  • Confirm that everything is working well by setting up a deny policy in the endpoint.
  • By setting up a deny policy, you can block access if coming via the endpoint.
  • Establish a bucket policy to restrict access except from the VPC endpoint.
  • Copy the bucket ARN and paste it into the bucket policy.
  • Include the VPC ID in the policy by copying the endpoint ID.
  • The policy denies any action on resources if the condition does not match the VPC endpoint ID.
  • Test access by running AWS S3 commands to ensure the policy is correctly applied.
  • Access the bucket from an instance to verify successful access via the endpoint.
  • Set up a VPN connection to connect a client computer to an AWS data center via a VPN connection.

01:46:27

"Direct Connect: Private, Fast, Secure AWS Connectivity"

  • Customer or partner cages are utilized in data centers, either with equipment or through an AWS partner.
  • Both cages contain routers, with a Direct Connect endpoint in the AWS cage.
  • Connectors and a dx port are necessary for the customer or partner cage router.
  • Cross connects are established between the customer or partner router and AWS, with a customer router in the data center.
  • Physical connections are required from the customer router to the customer or partner cage, potentially through a local ISP.
  • Cross connects are made into AWS, leading to a physical connection to an AWS region with a VPC via a fiber connection running at speeds of 1, 10, or 100 gigabits per second.
  • Benefits of Direct Connect include private connectivity, network control, increased speed, improved latency, and better bandwidth.
  • A private viff is created to provision connectivity across a private line using a Virtual Gateway.
  • Public services in AWS are accessed through a public viff, not a private viff.
  • Encryption for DX connections is not available, necessitating the use of an IPsec site-to-site VPN for traffic encryption.

02:00:38

"IPv6 Addresses: Vast Potential, Publicly Routable"

  • In a company with thousands of internal computers, IPv4 addresses are commonly used, often as private addresses, with a NAT device facilitating internet access using a single public IP address for multiple PCs.
  • IPv6 addresses have a structure with a network and node part, spanning 128 bits and using hexadecimal, offering a significantly larger number of potential values compared to IPv4's dotted decimal system.
  • IPv6 provides an immense number of addresses, with analogies like having 100 IPv6 addresses for every atom on Earth, ensuring no concerns about address exhaustion.
  • Setting up a VPC involves allocating IPv4 and IPv6 cider blocks, with AWS assigning a slash 56 IPv6 address range to the VPC, allowing for slash 64 subnets supporting 18 million trillion addresses each.
  • IPv6 route tables require a local route for the IPv6 cider block and a route to the internet gateway for external traffic, ensuring all IPv6 addresses are publicly routable without network address translation.
  • An egress-only internet gateway can be used to enable outbound access using IPv6 while protecting instances from direct internet access, similar to a private subnet with an IPv4 NAT gateway.
  • VPC flow logs capture IP traffic data at different levels like VPC, subnet, or interface, stored in CloudWatch or Amazon S3, aiding in troubleshooting and security analysis.
  • Creating VPC flow logs involves setting up a log group in CloudWatch, creating a role in IAM, and configuring flow logs at the network interface level to capture traffic data for analysis and monitoring.
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