Differences Between AWS Gateway Services

By Jay Young, Senior Splunk Consultant

In this blog we will discuss the collection of gateway services offered by AWS. We’ll explore the differences between the primary AWS gateway services to help you determine which one you should use for your AWS Cloud Instances.

Amazon API Gateway:

Purpose:

Streamlines the creation, deployment, and management of APIs. 

Features:

  1. The API Management supports both RESTful and WebSocket APIs. 
  1. Integrates with AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, DynamoDB. 
  1. For better Security it provides multiple ways to secure APIs including AWS Identity and Access Management, . 
  1. For easy management the Monitoring console Offers detailed metrics and logging. 

Use Case: the API Gateway is great for building and managing APIs that allow applications to communicate with each other or to enable access to backend services.

AWS Storage Gateway:

Purpose:  

Connects on-premises software appliances with AWS cloud storage. 

Features:

  1. The File Gateway stores files as objects in Amazon S3. 
  1. The Volume Gateway provides block storage backed by S3 with snapshots in EBS. 
  1. The Tape Gateway emulates a virtual tape library (VTL) for backup solutions. 
  1. Seamless Integration options enable backup, archiving, and disaster recovery. 

Use Case: the AWS is good for extending on-premises storage to the cloud, enhance backup capabilities, and streamline data archiving.

AWS Transit Gateway:

Purpose:  

Acts as a central hub to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks. 

Features: 

  1. Centralized Network Management: Streamlines architecture and reduces the complexity of managing multiple connections. 
  1. Scalability: Supports thousands of VPCs and on-premises networks. 
  1. Dynamic Routing: Offers robust routing and peering capabilities. 

Use Case: network architectures requiring efficient, scalable, and manageable connectivity solutions. 

AWS Direct Connect Gateway:

Purpose:  

          Extends AWS Direct Connect connections to multiple VPCs across different regions. 

Features: 

  1. Dedicated Connection: Direct network link from on-premises to cloud, avoiding the public internet. 
  1. Enhanced Performance: Lowers latency and increases security. 
  1. Multi-Region Support: Facilitates connections to VPCs across various regions using a single Direct Connect link. 

Use Case: reliable, high-performance connection between on-premises infrastructure and multiple AWS regions. 

Amazon VPC Endpoints: 

Purpose:  
          Establishes private connections between VPCs and AWS services without using public IPs. 

Features: 

  1. Interface Endpoints: Use Elastic Network Interfaces for private connectivity to AWS services. 
  1. Gateway Endpoints: Add routes to VPC route tables for S3 and DynamoDB. 
  1. Enhanced Security: Keeps traffic within the AWS network. 

Use Case: provides secure, private access to AWS services from inside a VPC without exposing traffic to the public internet. 

AWS Client VPN: 

Purpose:  

Provides secure VPN connections from client devices to AWS or on-premises networks. 

Features: 

  1. Remote Access: Supports secure connections for remote employees. 
  1. Authentication: Integrates with Active Directory for user authentication. 
  1. Scalability and Availability: Offers high availability and scales to meet demand. 

 
Use Case: used to providing secure, reliable remote access to networks and resources. 

AWS Global Accelerator: 

Purpose:  

Enhances global application availability and performance using AWS’s global network. 

Features: 

  1. Static IP Addresses: Acts as a fixed entry point for your application endpoints. 
  1. Optimized Routing: Directs user traffic to the nearest AWS edge location. 
  1. Health Checks and Traffic Management: Ensures high availability and performance. 

Use Case: used when applications need high performance and low latency on a global scale. 

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About the Author

Jay Young has been involved in Information Technology for 31 years, working with Internet and Agriculture technologies. For 15 years, he worked with and designed Oracle Databases used nationally and internationally. Jay has held IT management and development roles. For the last six years, he has focused his expertise on Splunk, Splunk Cloud, AWS, Data Onboarding, and Enterprise Security. Jay holds a bachelor’s in computer information systems and earned top Splunk certifications: Splunk Core Consultant (Recertified Oct 2023), Admin, and Architect. He also has accreditations in Enterprise Security. Jay currently resides in Abilene, Texas.