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MODULE 5 - Network: VPC Fundamentals

Overview​

This module introduces Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), AWS's virtual networking service. You will learn to design isolated and secure networks for your cloud resources.

Learning Objectives​

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Understand the components of a VPC
  • Design public and private subnets
  • Configure routing tables
  • Understand the role of the Internet Gateway
  • Master IP addressing and CIDR notation

Weekly Content​

1. Amazon VPC - Overview​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AMAZON VPC │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ "Your private network in the AWS cloud" │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ VPC (10.0.0.0/16) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Public Subnet │ │ Private Subnet │ │ │
│ │ │ 10.0.1.0/24 │ │ 10.0.2.0/24 │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ ┌───────────┐ │ │ ┌───────────┐ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Web Server│ │ │ │ Database │ │ │ │
│ │ │ └───────────┘ │ │ └───────────┘ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ └───────┼─────────┘ └───────┼─────────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ ┌───────┴─────────────────────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ ▼ │ │
│ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Internet Gateway│ ◄──── Internet Access │ │
│ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2. VPC Components​

ComponentDescriptionRole
VPCIsolated virtual networkMain container
SubnetSubnetwork in an AZSegmentation
Route TableRouting tableTraffic direction
Internet GatewayInternet gatewayPublic access
NAT GatewayAddress translationInternet egress for private
Security GroupInstance firewallInstance-level security
NACLControl listSubnet-level security

3. CIDR Notation​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CIDR NOTATION │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 10.0.0.0/16 = 65,536 IP addresses │
│ │ │ │
│ │ └── Mask (16 fixed bits) │
│ └── Network address │
│ │
│ Common examples: │
│ │
│ /16 ████████████████████████████████ 65,536 IPs │
│ /20 ████████████████ 4,096 IPs │
│ /24 ████████ 256 IPs │
│ /28 ██ 16 IPs │
│ /32 █ 1 IP │
│ │
│ RFC 1918 private ranges: │
│ • 10.0.0.0/8 (class A) │
│ • 172.16.0.0/12 (class B) │
│ • 192.168.0.0/16 (class C) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

4. Public vs Private Subnet​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PUBLIC vs PRIVATE SUBNET │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PUBLIC SUBNET PRIVATE SUBNET │
│ ────────────── ───────────── │
│ • Route to IGW • No route to IGW │
│ • Auto public IP • Private IP only │
│ • Internet accessible • Isolated from Internet │
│ │
│ Use cases: Use cases: │
│ • Web servers • Databases │
│ • Load balancers • Application servers │
│ • Bastion hosts • Internal services │
│ │
│ Routing table: Routing table: │
│ 10.0.0.0/16 → local 10.0.0.0/16 → local │
│ 0.0.0.0/0 → igw-xxx (no 0.0.0.0/0 route) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Exercise: VPC Design​

Scenario​

Design a VPC for a 3-tier web application:

  • Tier 1: Load Balancer (public)
  • Tier 2: Application Servers (private)
  • Tier 3: Database (private)

Constraints​

  • 2 availability zones
  • High availability
  • Isolated database

Deliverable​

Complete VPC diagram with:

  • CIDR ranges
  • Subnets per AZ
  • Routing tables
  • Security Groups
  1. VPC Concepts - Fundamentals
  2. Subnets and Routing - Configuration
  3. Internet Gateway - Public access
  4. CIDR Calculator - Address calculation
  5. Validation Quiz - 30 questions to validate your knowledge
  6. Lab: VPC Schema - Practical exercise

Next week: MODULE 6 - Network Security