I need to create an AWS Lambda that uses the AWS SDK, and communicates through a VPC Endpoint, in order to dynamically adjust routes found in a VPC route table. The problem is that the VPC Endpoint list of supported services does not list "VPC API" (though it does mention EC2 API). Does this mean my goal simply isn't possible through a VPC Endpoint, or am I interpreting the documentation too strictly?
Also, to be clear, I'm expressly avoiding a NAT Gateway / IGW. This is why my question centers on VPC Endpoints.
Incidentally, here is a related question.
I think you're looking for the AWS CLI functions for VPC configuration. VPC is a basic component in AWS, and should not have any gaps in feature configuration.
Related
I have VPC with two private subnets in two different AZ and
I am trying to create a VPC Endpoint for connecting lambda to my database in private one of subnet
But I need SNS also for sending message to users based on my lambda function
Do I need to create another endpoint for SNS in that subnet or I can attach multiple services to the same endpoint
I know NAT gateway is an option but it is costly than endpoints
Please suggest best way to do this
Thanks,
Monika
No. A VPC Endpoint is always for a specific service.
By the way, you do not require a VPC Endpoint for Lambda in your situation. Simply configure the AWS Lambda function to connect to the private subnets in the VPC. This is an in-built capability of Lambda functions and the do not require a VPC Endpoint to access the subnets.
I have a lambda function which must be placed in a VPC because it communicates over a VPC peering connection. I also need it to upload to my Elasticsearch Service domain (not in a VPC because it is publicly accessible). But currently when Lambda tries to talk to ES, it times out.
I ran into this problem with Secrets Manager, so I went into the lambda's VPC, clicked on Endpoints, and created a Secrets Manager endpoint. I would like to do the same with Elasticsearch Service, but it doesn't show up in my list of AWS Services, which is odd because it definitely is an AWS Service.
Any idea how I can add an endpoint for Elasticsearch Service in my VPC so my Lambda function can talk to it? Thanks!
There is no VPC endpoint for ES. The services that support the endpoints are listed here.
Regarding the timeout, you would have to provided detailed description of your VPC setup, subnets, route tables, lambda and explain how did you setup your ES and how do you try to access it from VPC. Its difficult to speculate why it times out without all the details.
But since your ES is public, one possibility could be because lambda in VPC will not be able to connect to it without the use of NAT gateway. By default, lambda in a VPC does not have internet connectivity.
What is the difference between Private Link and VPC endpoint? As per the documentation it seems like VPC endpoint is a gateway to access AWS services without exposing the data to internet. But the definition about AWS private link also looks similar.
Reference Link:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/endpoint-services-overview.html
Does Private Link is the superset of VPC endpoint?
It would be really helpful if anyone provides the difference between these two with examples!
Thanks in Advance!
AWS defines them as:
VPC endpoint — The entry point in your VPC that enables you to connect privately to a service.
AWS PrivateLink — A technology that provides private connectivity between VPCs and services.
So PrivateLink is technology allowing you to privately (without Internet) access services in VPCs. These services can be your own, or provided by AWS.
Let's say that you've developed some application and you are hosting it in your VPC. You would like to enable access to this application to services in other VPCs and other AWS users/accounts. But you don't want to setup any VPC peering nor use Internet for that. This is where PrivateLink can be used. Using PrivateLink you can create your own VPC endpoint services which will enable other services to use your application.
In the above scenario, VPC interface endpoint is a resource that users of your application would have to create in their VPCs to connect to your application. This is same as when you create VPC interface endpoint to access AWS provided services privately (no Internet), such as Lambda, KMS or SMS.
There are also Gateway VPC endpoints which is older technology, replaced by PrivateLink. Gateways can only be used to access S3 and DynamoDB, nothing else.
To sum up, PrivateLink is general technology which can be used by you or AWS to allow private access to internal services. VPC interface endpoint is a resource that the users of such VPC services create in their own VPCs to interact with them.
Suppose there is a website xyz.com that I am hosting in a bunch of Ec2 instances, exposed to the outside world thru a Network load balancer.
Now, a client who has his/her own AWS account, wants to access this xyz.com from an Ec2 running in their aws account.
One approach is to go thru the Internet.
However the client wants to avoid the internet route.
He/she wants to use the AWS backbone to reach xyz.com.
The technology that enables that, is AWS Private link.
(note that if you search for Private Link in the AWS services, there will be none.
You will get "End point services" as the closest hit)
So, this is how to route traffic through the AWS backbone:
I, the owner of xyz.com, will create a VPC End Point Service (NOTE the keyword Service here)
The VPC End point service will point to my Network load balancer.
I will then give my VPC End point service name to the client.
The client will create a VPC End Point (NOTE.. this is different from #1).
While creating it, the client will specify the VPC End Point Service name (from #1) that he got from me.
I can choose to be prompted to accept the connection from the client to my VPC End point service.
As soon as I accept it, then the client can reach xyz.com from his/her EC2 instance.
There is no Internet, no direct connect or VPN.. this simply works; and its secure.
And which technology enabled it.. AWS Private link !!!
PRIVATE LINK IS THE ONLY TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS 2 VPCS TO CONNECT THAT HAVE OVERLAPPING CIDR RANGES.
A useful way in understanding differences is in how they technically connect private resources to public services.
Gateway Endpoints route traffic by adding prefix lists within a VPC route table which targets the Gateway endpoint. It is a logical gateway object similar to a Internet Gateway.
In contrast, an Interface Endpoint uses Privatelink to inject into a VPC at the subnet level, via an Elastic Network Interface (ENI), giving network interface functionality, and therefore, DNS and private IP addressing as a means to connect to AWS public services, rather than simply being routed to it.
The differences in connections offer differing advantages and disadvantages (availability, resiliency, access, scalability, and etc), which then dictates how best to connect private resources to public services.
Privatelink is simply a very much abstracted technology to allow a more simplified connection by using DNS. The following AWS re:Invent offers a great overview of Privatelink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abOFqytVqBU
As you correctly mentioned in the question that both VPC endpoint and AWS private link do not expose to internet. On AWS console under VPC, there is a clear option available to create an endpoint. But there is no option/label to create AWS private link. Actually, there is one more option/label called endpoint service. Creating endpoint service is one way to establish AWS private link. At one side of this AWS private link is your endpoint service and at the other side is your endpoint itself. And interestingly we create both these sides in two different VPCs. In other words, you are connecting two VPCs with this private link (instead of using internet or VPC peering).
understand like,
VPC1 got endpoint service ----> private link -----> VPC2 got endpoint
Here endpoint service side is service provider while endpoint is service consumer. So when you have some service (may be some application or s/w) that you think other VPC endpoints can consume you create endpoint service at your end and consumers will create endpoints at there end. When consumers create endpoints at their end they have to give/select your service name and thus private link will be established with your service.
Ultimately you can have multiple consumers of your service just like one to many relationship.
I need to connect dynamoDb and elasticache from aws-lambda (otherthan using NAT Gateway).
ElastiCache provides essential caching methods along with help in making the Lambda state-ful. The concern is that for Lambda to work nice with DynamoDB it should be set to NoVPC.
If we have to use ElastiCache, Lambda and both have to be in the same VPC.TO use Both ElastiCache and DynamoDB together is quite a challenge specially with Lambda. Given the VPC challenges.Do you have any suggestions to make this easier?
A Lambda function would have to have VPC access to connect to ElastiCache, and it would have to have access to resources outside the VPC to access DynamoDB so it would require a NAT gateway. There is no way to provide access to both of those services to a single Lambda function without enabling VPC access and setting up a NAT gateway.
If you just need a Redis server and aren't required specifically to use ElasiCache, then you could use a RedisLabs instance which wouldn't require you to enable VPC access on your Lambda function.
There is now a relatively easy solution for DynamoDb access from a VPC: VPC Endpoints.
"Previously, if you wanted your EC2 (elroy: or lambda) instances in your VPC to be able to access DynamoDB, you had two options. You could use an Internet Gateway (with a NAT Gateway or assigning your instances public IPs) or you could route all of your traffic to your local infrastructure via VPN or AWS Direct Connect and then back to DynamoDB."
"A VPC endpoint for DynamoDB enables Amazon EC2 instances in your VPC to use their private IP addresses to access DynamoDB with no exposure to the public Internet...Your EC2 instances do not require public IP addresses, and you do not need an Internet gateway, a NAT device, or a virtual private gateway in your VPC. You use endpoint policies to control access to DynamoDB. Traffic between your VPC and the AWS service does not leave the Amazon network. "
The above quotes come from the links below. Note the the references to "EC2 instances" apply to lambda contexts as well.
See https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-vpc-endpoints-for-dynamodb/
and
http://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/vpc-endpoints-dynamodb.html
I'm creating a VPC to host a web app at AWS, and I want to use load balancers. Do I need to create a endpoint for elb like I have to s3?
Confusing AWS uses 'endpoint' to refer to a couple of different things. Judging by your question are you referring to this: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-vpc-endpoint-for-amazon-s3/
Essentially before VPC endpoints were introduced the only way to access certain AWS services was using a public URL, this is fine unless you are working in a locked down VPC where an instance might not have access to the public internet. With the introduction of VPC endpoints a few days ago you can now access AWS service(s) directly from a private instance.
As of right now S3 is the only one supported but no doubt it will be rolled out to similar services, e.g. DynamoDB, SQS, SNS, etc in the near future.
The exception to this is services that are able to live inside a VPC that you create, i.e. when creating them you tell them which VPC, and often subnet as well where they should be created. Examples of this are ELB, RDS, EC2, Redshift, etc. For these there is no need to create an endpoint, they already exist in your VPC and can be accessed directly.