AWS PrivateLink vs Azure Private Endpoint: Which One to Choose?
Are you searching for a secure and private way to access cloud services without exposing them to the public internet? If so, you may have heard of AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Endpoint. Both services allow you to access your cloud-based resources privately and securely within a virtual private network (VPN).
But which one is the best for your needs? In this post, we’ll compare the two services based on their features, performance, and pricing.
Features
Let’s start with the features offered by AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Endpoint.
AWS PrivateLink
AWS PrivateLink is a service that allows you to securely access AWS services over a private connection from your Amazon VPC. The key features of AWS PrivateLink include:
- Private Connectivity: You can access your AWS services privately, using private IP addresses without requiring an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN connection or AWS Direct Connect connection.
- Scalable and Resilient: With AWS PrivateLink, you can scale your services quickly and easily, and ensure high availability and fault tolerance.
- AWS Marketplace: AWS PrivateLink lets you access third-party SaaS applications and services within your VPC, while keeping all traffic within the AWS network.
Azure Private Endpoint
Azure Private Endpoint is a service that allows you to access your Azure services privately from your virtual network. The key features of Azure Private Endpoint include:
- Private Connectivity: You can access your Azure services privately using a private IP address within your virtual network, without requiring a public IP address, VPN gateway, or other network devices.
- Scalable and Resilient: Azure Private Endpoint lets you scale your services quickly and easily, and ensure high availability and fault tolerance.
- Azure Marketplace: Azure Private Endpoint lets you access third-party applications and services within your virtual network, while keeping all traffic within the Azure network.
Performance
Both AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Endpoint offer high-performance, low-latency connectivity between your cloud resources.
AWS PrivateLink
AWS PrivateLink uses elastic network interfaces (ENIs) to provide private connectivity, minimizing the need for network hops and improving performance. It supports traffic with up to 10 Gbps, making it suitable for large-scale applications.
Azure Private Endpoint
Azure Private Endpoint uses a virtual network gateway to connect your virtual network to the Azure service. It supports traffic with up to 1.25 Gbps, which is sufficient for most workloads, but may not be suitable for high-performance applications.
Pricing
The pricing of AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Endpoint depends on multiple factors, including data transfer, network usage, and the number of endpoints.
AWS PrivateLink
AWS PrivateLink is charged based on the number of interface endpoints created, which starts at $0.01 per hour. In addition, data transfer charges apply for data transferred between Amazon VPC and the service over PrivateLink.
Azure Private Endpoint
Azure Private Endpoint is charged based on the number of Private Endpoint connections created, which starts at $0.01 per hour. Data transfer rates may vary based on the type of data and the region.
Conclusion
Overall, both AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Endpoint provide similar features, performance, and pricing. The choice between the two depends on factors such as the cloud provider of your current infrastructure and which cloud platform and services fit best with your organization's requirements.
In summary, AWS PrivateLink is a better choice if you are already using Amazon VPC and the AWS ecosystem, while Azure Private Endpoint may be more suitable for those who are already on the Azure platform.
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