What is directconnect?

Direct Connect is a service that lets you create a private, high‑speed network link between your on‑premises data center (or office) and a cloud provider’s network, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Instead of sending data over the public internet, you use a dedicated fiber connection that you lease from a telecom carrier.

Let's break it down

  • Your location - The building where your servers, storage, or networking gear live.
  • Carrier - A telecom company that owns the fiber lines.
  • Direct Connect location - A data‑center or colocation facility where the cloud provider has a presence.
  • Dedicated link - A physical circuit (e.g., 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps) that runs from your router to the cloud provider’s router.
  • Virtual Interface (VIF) - A logical connection you configure on the cloud side to route traffic to specific services (VPC, S3, etc.).

Why does it matter?

  • Performance - Lower latency and higher, more predictable bandwidth than the public internet.
  • Security - Traffic never traverses the open internet, reducing exposure to attacks.
  • Cost - Data transfer rates can be cheaper than internet‑based pricing, especially for large volumes.
  • Reliability - A dedicated line is less prone to congestion and outages caused by internet traffic spikes.

Where is it used?

  • Companies moving large databases or backup archives to the cloud.
  • Media and entertainment firms streaming high‑definition video from on‑premises studios to cloud rendering farms.
  • Financial institutions that need ultra‑low latency connections for trading applications.
  • Enterprises that run hybrid workloads, keeping some services on‑premises while extending others to the cloud.

Good things about it

  • Predictable, high‑speed connectivity.
  • Enhanced security by avoiding the public internet.
  • Potential cost savings on data transfer.
  • Ability to combine multiple VIFs for different cloud services on the same physical link.
  • Works well with other networking features like VPN failover for redundancy.

Not-so-good things

  • Requires upfront setup time and coordination with a carrier.
  • Higher initial cost for the dedicated circuit and any required equipment.
  • Limited to locations where the cloud provider has a Direct Connect point of presence.
  • If the physical line fails, you need a backup (often a VPN over the internet) to maintain connectivity.
  • Bandwidth is fixed; scaling up means ordering a larger circuit, which can take weeks.