1. Core Networking
VPC (Virtual Private Cloud)
Your own private, fenced-off neighborhood in the AWS cloud. You control the IP addresses, subnets (public vs. private), and firewalls.
AWS Direct Connect
A physical, dedicated fiber-optic cable from your office data center directly to AWS. Bypasses the public internet for maximum security and consistent speeds. (Note: VPN uses the public internet; Direct Connect does not).
Route 53
AWS’s DNS service. Translates http://www.google.com into IP addresses. It is a Global Service (not tied to one region) and highly available.
2. Traffic Management & Scaling
Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)
The “traffic cop.” Distributes incoming users across multiple servers so no single server crashes.
- Horizontal Scaling: Adding more servers (Best practice in the cloud).
- Vertical Scaling: Making a single server bigger (Requires downtime).
CloudFront (CDN)
Caches your website’s images/videos in “Edge Locations” (small data centers near users worldwide) so the site loads instantly. Includes AWS Shield (DDoS protection).
Global Accelerator
Routes traffic onto AWS’s private global backbone network immediately.
Difference from CloudFront: CloudFront caches content. Global Accelerator does not cache; it just provides static IP addresses and reduces latency for non-HTTP apps (like Gaming, VoIP, or UDP).
Scenario Spotlight
1. Need persistent, secure connection from on-premise to AWS? ➔ Direct Connect.
2. Optimize performance for global users viewing static media? ➔ CloudFront.
3. How to handle a massive spike in web traffic? ➔ Horizontal Scaling using an ELB