AWS VPN uses two types of tunnels to establishing connectivity: an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel and a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) tunnel. IPsec is the most common type of tunnel used for site-to-site VPNs. SSL is typically used for client-to-site VPNs.
Site-to-Site VPNs
A site-to-site VPN allows you to create a secure connection between your on-premises network and your VPC. You can use this type of VPN to connect your on-premises network to multiple VPCs in different Regions, or even connect multiple on-premises networks to the same VPC. Site-to siteVPNsand client -to -sitetunnels both require an Amazon Virtual Private Gateway(VGW).
Client -To -Site Tunnels Creatinga Client–tositetunnel requiresconfiguring adedicated Client–tositetunneling softwareon eachend user’smachineortheir router/firewall iftheyhave one .Advantagesofusingsuchtunnelsinclude not having toprovision specialhardwareorsoftware beyondtheclient,as well astheabilitytoprovide accessto manymoreclientssimultaneously thanthesite–tositeapproach .However,managingmanyclient computerscanbetimeconsumingandyou must haveoneeachperson who wantstouse theVPN .Alsoconsiderthatpeoplemustbephysicallypresent atthelocationofthemachine runningtheclienttunnelsoftwareinordertousetheVPNconnection .
Why Use a Hardware VPN?
There are several advantages to using a hardware VPN over other types of VPNs:
Security: One of the main benefits of using a hardware VPN is the increased security it offers. Physical devices are much harder to hack than software, so you can be confident that your data is safe.
Performance: Another advantage of a hardware VPN is that it can offer better performance than other types. This is because the data doesn’t need to be encrypted or decrypted by software, which can slow things down.
Reliability: Finally, hardware VPNs tend to be more reliable than other types. This is because they aren’t reliant on software, which can sometimes be buggy or crash unexpectedly.
Using a Hardware VPN with AWS So now that we know some of the benefits of using a hardwareVPN , let’s take a look at how you can use one with AWS . Unfortunately, there’s no built-in support for hardwareVPN s in AWS . However , there are still ways to set one up – you just need to get creative! One option is to use an Amazon EC2 instance as your hardwareVPN server . You can then connect this instance to your on-premises network using an IPSec tunnel . Alternatively , you could use an OpenVPN server running on an EC2 instance . Once again , you would need to create an IPSec tunnel between your networks
Worth knowing
Worth knowing
First, you’ll need to set up an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). This will give you a dedicated virtual network in the cloud where you can launch AWS resources. You can think of it kind of like your own private mini-AWS within the greater AWS ecosystem. Once you have your VPC set up, you’ll need to create an Internet Gateway and attach it to your VPC. This will allow communication between your VPC and the internet at large.
Now that you have connectivity established, it’s time to set up your VPN server. For this, we recommend using Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). EC2 is a cloud computing service that provides resizable virtual servers in the cloud. You can launch as many or as few EC2 instances as you need, making it easy to scale your VPN server up or down as needed.
When configuring your EC2 instance, be sure to select a security group that allows incoming traffic on port 500 (IPsec) and 4500 (UDP). You’ll also need to generate a public/private key pair for use with IPsec. Finally, configure your EC2 instance with the appropriate IP addresses and subnet masks for both your internal network and the Amazon side of things.
At this point, you should have everything in place to start hosting your VPN on AWS! If you run into any trouble along the way, Amazon has excellent documentation on setting up VPNs using their services
Worth knowing
Step 1: In your AWS VPC, Create a Customer Gateway.
Step 2: In your AWS VPC, Create a Virtual Private Gateway.
Step 3: In your AWS VPC, Enable Route Propagation in Your Route Table.
Step 4: In your AWS VPC, Update Your Security Group to Enable Inbound SSH, RDP, and ICMP Access.
Thank your for reading!