{"id":11162,"date":"2024-08-10T15:08:31","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T19:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redline13.com\/blog\/?p=11162"},"modified":"2024-08-10T15:08:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T19:08:32","slug":"connecting-an-aws-vpc-to-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redline13.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/connecting-an-aws-vpc-to-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting an AWS VPC to the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> \"Connecting<\/p>\n

By design, resources in AWS<\/a> are provisioned through the lens of security. When creating a new Virtual Private Network<\/em><\/a> (VPC<\/a>), access into this network from the outside world is restricted. In this article, we will go through the steps connecting a VPC to the internet. We will also review common connectivity issues faced reaching resources inside a VPC.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Attaching an Internet Gateway<\/h3>\n

The first step to enable VPC internet access is to attach an Internet Gateway<\/em><\/a>. This is a VPC component that once attached, will enable resources inside your network to connect to the internet. From your AWS account, you can create a new Internet Gateway<\/em> by selecting the \u201cInternet Gateways<\/em>\u201d option on the VPC dashboard, and clicking \u201cCreate internet gateway<\/em>\u201d:<\/p>\n

\"Internet
Internet Gateways allow VPC resources to establish connections over the internet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once your Internet Gateway<\/em> is created, you can attach it to your VPC. This will enable resources provisioned within this VPC\u2019s subnets to accept connections from the internet.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Provisioning Inbound Rules<\/h3>\n

Like most resources provisioned within AWS, you will have to configure necessary security parameters to enable access for your use case. If you are hosting instances within your VPC that need to accept inbound connections from the internet, this must be explicitly configured. A basic method to accomplishing this is to use network Access Control Lists<\/em><\/a> (ACLs<\/a>). In the case of VPC subnets, this is set on an individual basis. Most VPCs will be set up with multiple subnets, so you will need to configure access for each one that you will utilize. If you are expecting traffic from anywhere on the web, you can set the source to 0.0.0.0\/0<\/strong><\/code> which will encompass all traffic. This can be further restricted to certain ranges or even discrete addresses depending on your use case. For example, to allow all HTTPS traffic (using port 443) you could configure as follows:<\/p>\n

\"Network
Network ACLs provide a way to control traffic to VPC subnets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>Public IP Assignment of Resources<\/h3>\n

Even if your VPC is set up correctly with an Internet Gateway<\/em> attached, and your ACL is configured properly to allow the correct type of traffic through, resources within your VPC must have a public IP address assigned to be directly accessible from the internet. When creating a new EC2<\/a> resource for example, the option exists to automatically assign a public IP address:<\/p>\n

\"Many
Many resources have the option to auto-assign a public IP address.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues<\/h3>\n

In the event that an expected resource within your VPC is not reachable from the internet, there are a few common pitfalls worth investigating:<\/p>\n