When working in the cloud, connecting your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to native cloud services securely and efficiently is key. Both AWS and GCP offer Gateway Endpoints to establish private connectivity between your VPC and cloud services without exposing them to the public internet. But how do they differ, and which one should you choose?
AWS Gateway Endpoint
AWS Gateway Endpoints create a direct, private route between a VPC and AWS services like Amazon S3 and DynamoDB. They use VPC route tables to manage traffic, ensuring that requests to these services never leave AWS’s internal network.
Key Features
1 Service-Specific — Supports only Amazon S3 and DynamoDB. Other AWS services require Interface Endpoints (AWS PrivateLink).
2. Route Table-Based Access — Traffic is controlled via VPC route tables, directing requests to AWS services without using the internet.
3. Eliminates NAT Gateway Costs — EC2 instances in private subnets can access S3/DynamoDB without needing a NAT Gateway or Internet Gateway, reducing costs.
4. Highly Available — Works across multiple Availability Zones (AZs), ensuring reliability.
5. Works Only Within a Single VPC — For cross-VPC access, use VPC Peering or Transit Gateway.
6. Private & Secure — Traffic never leaves AWS’s internal network, enhancing security and compliance.
When to Choose AWS Gateway Endpoint:
You need high availability across multiple zones. You’re integrating specific AWS services like S3 or DynamoDB directly into your private VPC.
AWS Gateway Endpoint Use Case
Scenario: If you runs data analytics with data in S3 using EC2 instances in a private subnet (no internet access). Instead of using a NAT Gateway, they set up a Gateway Endpoint to allow direct, secure access to S3 without internet exposure.
GCP Gateway Endpoint
GCP Gateway Endpoints provide private connectivity to Google services like Cloud Storage and BigQuery. They work within VPCs and eliminate the need for NAT by allowing traffic to flow through private IPs.
Key Features
1 Service-Specific — Supports only Cloud Storage & BigQuery. Other Google services use Private Google Access.
2. Firewall & IAM-Based Access — Unlike AWS, which uses route tables, GCP controls access using firewall rules and IAM policies.
3. No NAT Required — Compute Engine VMs can access Cloud Storage without external IPs or NAT Gateway, reducing complexity.
4. Zonal by Default — Each endpoint is limited to a single zone, meaning manual redundancy is needed for multi-zone availability.
5. Simpler Setup — No need to modify route tables; instead, access is managed via IAM roles and firewall settings.
6. Google’s Global Network — Traffic remains within Google’s private backbone, improving performance and security.
When to Choose GCP Gateway Endpoint:
You’re working with services like Cloud Storage or BigQuery.
You want to avoid managing NAT configurations while maintaining private connectivity.
GCP Gateway Endpoint Use Case
Scenario: If you are training a models on Compute Engine VMs that need to fetch datasets stored in Google Cloud Storage. They enable Private Google Access, allowing private connectivity to GCS without requiring external IPs or NAT configuration.
NAT in AWS vs. GCP
Network Address Translation (NAT) lets private resources in your VPC access the internet. Both AWS and GCP offer NAT services, but their approaches differ significantly.
Service Names:
In AWS, it is known as “NAT Gateway” and “NAT Instance.”
In GCP, it is known as “Cloud NAT.”
AWS NAT Gateway
AWS provides NAT Gateway (managed) and NAT Instances (self-managed) for enabling private resources in a VPC to access the internet while preventing inbound connections from the internet. It is a fully managed service that scales automatically to support high volumes of traffic. It is charged based on hourly usage and data processed (per GB). NAT Instance is a self-managed EC2 instance that requires manual configuration, scaling, and maintenance.
GCP Cloud NAT
GCP’s Cloud NAT is a fully managed, scalable Network Address Translation service that allows private instances to access the internet without needing external IP addresses. It automatically scales based on network demand, without requiring manual intervention. GCP Cloud NAT pricing is based on the number of VM instances using the gateway, with an hourly charge capped at 32 instances. Additional costs include per-GiB data transfer fees, external IP usage fees, and standard network egress charges. The total cost depends on instance count, traffic volume, and allocated external IPs.
Key Differences: AWS NAT Gateway vs. GCP Cloud NAT
Feature | AWS NAT Gateway | GCP Cloud NAT |
NAT Service | NAT Gateway & NAT Instances | Managed Cloud NAT |
Deployment Model | Per Availability Zone (AZ) | Regional deployment |
Availability | AZ-specific (requires multiple NAT Gateways for HA) | Regional (built-in high availability) |
Performance | Up to 45 Gbps per NAT Gateway | Up to 32 Gbps per VM instance |
IP Management | One Elastic IP per NAT Gateway, with up to 8 EIPs allowed with request | Configurable pool of external IPs (1-32 IPs) |
IPv6 Support | Supported for outbound IPv6 traffic | Supported via Cloud Router |
Connection Limits | 55,000 concurrent connections per IP (scalable up to 440,000 with 8 IPs) | 64,512 ports per NAT IP, configurable per VM |
Security | Security Groups and NACLs | VPC Firewall rules |
Monitoring | CloudWatch metrics | Cloud Monitoring |
Logging | VPC Flow Logs | Cloud Logging and VPC Flow Logs |
Cross-Zone Support | Limited to single AZ | Supports cross-zone traffic within region |
Resource Attachment | Attaches to subnet | Attaches to Cloud Router |
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right cloud depends on your organization’s cloud strategy and specific requirements. Both AWS and GCP offer powerful solutions for private connectivity and NAT, but your choice should align with your project requirements, cloud expertise, and budget. AWS tends to offer more granular control, while GCP focuses on simplicity and automation.
Which one works for you?
