AWS Direct Connect
- What it is
- A dedicated private network connection from your data center or office into AWS, bypassing the public internet.
- Provisioned through an AWS Direct Connect location or a partner; capacities from 50 Mbps to 100 Gbps.
- Why
- Consistent, predictable latency and bandwidth (the internet gives you neither).
- Lower data transfer-out costs at high volume.
- Regulatory or security requirements that traffic never touch the public internet.
- Trade-offs
- Takes weeks to months to provision — physical circuits are involved.
- A single connection is a single point of failure; pair two, or back it up with AWS VPN.
- Not to be confused with
- AWS VPN — encrypted tunnel over the public internet. Set up in minutes, cheap, but latency and throughput vary.
- Exam signal
- “Consistent/dedicated bandwidth”, “hybrid, high volume, predictable” → Direct Connect. “Quick and cheap encrypted link” → VPN.