AWS PrivateLink
Virtual private cloud (VPC) software
Cloud data security software
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What is AWS PrivateLink
AWS PrivateLink is an Amazon Web Services networking capability that provides private connectivity between VPCs and supported AWS or third-party services using interface VPC endpoints. It targets cloud infrastructure and security teams that need to access services without routing traffic over the public internet or requiring VPC peering. The service uses AWS PrivateLink endpoint services and Network Load Balancers to expose services privately across accounts and VPCs. It is commonly used for private SaaS access, internal service publishing, and reducing network exposure for regulated workloads.
Private service access via endpoints
PrivateLink enables access to supported services through interface endpoints with private IP addresses inside a VPC. This reduces reliance on public IPs, internet gateways, and NAT for service consumption. It also supports cross-account access patterns, which helps centralize shared services while keeping consumer VPCs isolated.
Granular control with IAM and policies
Access to endpoint services can be controlled using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and endpoint policies. Service owners can explicitly allow which principals and VPC endpoints can connect to a published endpoint service. This supports least-privilege designs and auditable access controls for internal and partner connectivity.
Integrates with AWS networking stack
PrivateLink works with common AWS constructs such as VPCs, subnets, security groups, and Network Load Balancers. It fits into architectures that avoid broad network connectivity methods like full-mesh peering by exposing only specific services. This can simplify segmentation compared with approaches that require wider routing between networks.
AWS-specific connectivity model
PrivateLink is designed for connectivity within AWS and does not provide a general-purpose private network between clouds or on-premises environments by itself. Organizations with multi-cloud requirements may need additional networking services and operational processes. This can increase architectural complexity when standardizing private access across heterogeneous environments.
Service publishing constraints apply
Publishing a service over PrivateLink typically requires an endpoint service backed by a Network Load Balancer and compatible target architecture. Not all protocols and service patterns map cleanly to this model, and some applications require redesign to fit behind supported load balancing and endpoint constructs. Operational tasks such as endpoint acceptance workflows and DNS integration can add setup overhead.
Costs scale with endpoints and data
PrivateLink pricing generally includes hourly charges per interface endpoint and data processing charges, which can add up in environments with many VPCs, accounts, or services. Large-scale microservice or multi-tenant patterns may require numerous endpoints to maintain isolation. Cost management often requires careful endpoint consolidation and traffic planning.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go
Free tier/trial: No permanently free tier or time-limited trial stated on the AWS PrivateLink pricing page (see notes below).
Pricing components (as listed on AWS official pricing page):
-
Interface Endpoints (VPC Interface Endpoints / AWS PrivateLink):
- Data processing (tiered, per AWS Region total for all Interface Endpoints):
- First 1 PB per month: $0.01 per GB
- Next 4 PB per month: $0.006 per GB
- Anything over 5 PB per month: $0.004 per GB
- Hourly charge: the pricing page examples state a charge of $0.01 per hour for each endpoint ENI (billed for each partial hour as a full hour).
- Data processing (tiered, per AWS Region total for all Interface Endpoints):
-
Resource Endpoints:
- Data processing (same tiered per-GB pricing as Interface Endpoints):
- First 1 PB: $0.01 per GB
- Next 4 PB: $0.006 per GB
- Over 5 PB: $0.004 per GB
- Hourly charge: $0.02 per resource per hour (as shown in pricing examples).
- Data processing (same tiered per-GB pricing as Interface Endpoints):
-
Cross-region connectivity / service-provider charges (examples shown on page):
- Service-provider (VPCE service) fixed hourly charge per active remote region: example shows $0.05 per hour per active remote region (service-provider billing example).
- Cross-region data transfer rates (standard AWS data transfer) also apply in addition to PrivateLink charges.
-
Gateway Load Balancer Endpoints: The pricing page includes a section heading for Gateway Load Balancer Endpoint pricing but does not list a separate, explicit per-unit price table in the main page text; examples reference per-GB data processing and per-ENI hourly charges in cross-region examples. (See notes below.)
Example cost (from AWS example on the pricing page):
- Resource endpoint example: connecting to a resource from 10 VPCs and exchanging 6 PB/month results in hourly charges (10 resource endpoints × $0.02/resource-hour → $144/month) plus data processing charges computed using the tiered per-GB rates (total example = $39,989.89 for that illustrative scenario).
Discounts / volume pricing:
- Volume-based tiered pricing for data processing is explicitly listed (first 1 PB / next 4 PB / >5 PB). No other discount programs or committed-use discounts are listed on the PrivateLink pricing page; customers are directed to contact AWS for personalized quotes or use the AWS Pricing Calculator.
Notes / caveats from the AWS page:
- Some AWS services may optionally include the cost of interface VPC endpoints within their service pricing (so endpoint charges may not always appear separately on your bill for those services).
- Each partial VPC endpoint-hour consumed is billed as a full hour.
- Cross-region data transfer rates (EC2 Data Transfer) apply in addition to PrivateLink charges for inter-region connectivity.
- Where the pricing page is not explicit (for example, separate Gateway Load Balancer Endpoint unit prices), the page refers customers to related pricing pages (e.g., VPC Lattice or EC2 data transfer pages) or to contact AWS for quotes.
Seller details
Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Seattle, Washington, USA
2006
Subsidiary
https://aws.amazon.com/
https://x.com/awscloud
https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon-web-services/
