How to do VPC Peering

Introduction:

VPC Peering is a networking solution provided by cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows two virtual private clouds (VPCs) to communicate with each other as if they were on the same network. VPC Peering enables the resources within the two VPCs to communicate with each other securely without the need for a VPN connection or a dedicated physical connection.

When two VPCs are peered, they can send traffic directly to each other using private IP addresses, without going through the internet. This makes communication faster, more secure, and more cost-effective than if the traffic had to go through a public internet connection.

VPC Peering is particularly useful for organizations that need to set up multiple VPCs within the same region, but still need to allow them to communicate with each other securely. With VPC Peering, organizations can create a virtual network that spans multiple VPCs, making it easier to manage and control their resources.

Create a VPC Peering connection

To create a VPC Peering connection, you will need to have two VPCs already created within the same region, each with unique CIDR blocks that do not overlap. You will also need to have the necessary permissions to create and modify VPC Peering connections.

Here are the general steps to create a VPC Peering connection:

1. Go to the VPC Dashboard in the AWS Management Console.
2. Select the VPC that you want to initiate the peering from and go to the “Peering Connections” section.
3. Click “Create Peering Connection” and enter the details for the peering connection, including the VPC ID of the VPC you want to peer with, and the CIDR blocks for each VPC.
4. Review the details of the peering connection and click “Create Peering Connection”.
5. Go to the “Peering Connections” section of the other VPC and accept the peering request.
6. Once the peering connection is accepted, configure the routing tables for each VPC to allow traffic to flow between them.

It is important to note that when creating a VPC Peering connection, there are some limitations and best practices that should be considered. For example, VPCs cannot be peered across different AWS accounts, and there are certain limitations on how traffic can be routed between the peered VPCs. It is recommended to review the AWS documentation and best practices before setting up a VPC Peering connection.

This article focuses on the following pointers:

• Prerequisites
• Create with VPCs in the same account and Region
• Create with VPCs in the same account and different Regions
• Create with VPCs in different accounts and the same Region
• Create with VPCs in different accounts and Regions
• Create a VPC peering connection using the command line

Prerequisites

• Before creating a VPC in a cloud provider’s environment, there are several prerequisites that should be considered to ensure a successful setup. Here are some of the key prerequisites for creating a VPC:
• Understand your network requirements: Before creating a VPC, it is important to understand your network requirements, such as the number of subnets, IP address ranges, and connectivity options.
• Choose a region: Cloud providers offer different regions where you can create your VPCs. Each region has its own set of availability zones, which are independent data centers within the same region. Choosing the right region can affect the latency and network performance of your VPC.
• Define your IP address range: When creating a VPC, you must define the IP address range for your VPC. This range should not overlap with any other IP address ranges in your organization or in the cloud provider’s environment.
• Plan your subnets: Subnets are segments of the VPC’s IP address range where you can place resources such as instances, load balancers, and databases. When planning your subnets, you should consider factors such as security, scalability, and high availability.
• Set up security groups: Security groups are virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic for your instances. You should define security groups that restrict access to only the necessary ports and protocols.
• Decide on connectivity options: Cloud providers offer several connectivity options to connect your VPC to the internet or to other VPCs or on-premises networks. You should choose the right connectivity option based on your requirements and security policies.
• By considering these prerequisites before creating a VPC, you can ensure a smooth and secure deployment of your network infrastructure in the cloud.

Create with VPCs in the same account and Region

To create a VPC peering connection with VPCs in the same account and Region

1. Open the Amazon VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Peering connections.
3. Choose to Create a peering connection.
4. Configure the following information, and choose to Create Peering Connection when you are done:
   • Peering connection name tag: You can optionally name your VPC peering connection.
   • VPC (Requester): Select the VPC in your account with which you want to create the VPC peering connection.
   • Under Select another VPC to peer with: Ensure My account is selected, and select another of your VPCs.
   • (Optional) To add a tag, choose to Add a new tag and enter the tag key and value.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, choose OK.
6. Select the VPC peering connection that you’ve created, and choose Actions, Accept Request.
7. In the confirmation dialog, choose Yes, Accept. A second confirmation dialog displays; choose to Modify my route tables now to go directly to the route tables page, or choose Close to do this later.

Create with VPCs in the same account and different Regions

To create a VPC peering connection with VPCs in the same account and different Regions

1. Open the Amazon VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Peering connections.
3. Choose to Create a peering connection.
4. Configure the following information, and choose to Create Peering Connection when you are done:
   • Peering connection name tag: You can optionally name your VPC peering connection. Doing so creates a tag with a key  Name and a value that you specify.
   • VPC (Requester): Select the requester VPC in your account with which to request the VPC peering connection.
   • Account: Ensure My account is selected.
   • Region: Choose Another region, and select the Region in which the accepter VPC resides.
   • VPC (Accepter): Enter the ID of the accepter VPC.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, choose OK.
6. In the Region selector, select the Region of the accepter VPC.
7. In the navigation pane, choose Peering Connections. Select the VPC peering connection that you’ve created, and choose Actions, Accept Request.
8. In the confirmation dialog, choose Yes, Accept. A second confirmation dialog displays; choose to Modify my route tables now to go directly to the route tables page, or choose Close to do this later.

Create with VPCs in different accounts and the same Region

To request a VPC peering connection with VPCs in different accounts and the same Region

1. Open the Amazon VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Peering connections.
3. Choose to Create a peering connection.
4. Configure the information as follows, and choose to Create Peering Connection when you are done:
   • Peering connection name tag: You can optionally name your VPC peering connection. Doing so creates a tag with a key of Name and a value that you specify. This tag is only visible to you; the owner of the peer VPC can create their own tags for the VPC peering connection.
   • VPC (Requester): Select the VPC in your account with which to create the VPC peering connection.
   • Account: Choose Another account.
   • Account ID: Enter the AWS account ID of the owner of the accepter VPC.
   • VPC (Accepter): Enter the ID of the VPC with which to create the VPC peering connection.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, choose OK.

Create with VPCs in different accounts and Regions

To request a VPC peering connection with VPCs in different accounts and Regions

1. Open the Amazon VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Peering connections.
3. Choose to Create a peering connection.
4. Configure the information as follows, and choose to Create Peering Connection when you are done:
   • Peering connection name tag: You can optionally name your VPC peering connection. Doing so creates a tag with a key of Name and a value that you specify. This tag is only visible to you; the owner of the peer VPC can create their own tags for the VPC peering connection.
   • VPC (Requester): Select the VPC in your account with which to create the VPC peering connection.
   • Account: Choose Another account.
   • Account ID: Enter the AWS account ID of the owner of the accepter VPC.
   • Region: Choose Another region, and select the Region in which the accepter VPC resides.
   • VPC (Accepter): Enter the ID of the VPC with which to create the VPC peering connection.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, choose OK.

Create a VPC peering connection using the command line

You can create a VPC peering connection using the following commands:

• create-vpc-peering-connection (AWS CLI)
• New-EC2VpcPeeringConnection (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)