Optimizing AWS Networking to Reduce Data Transfer Costs

AWS data transfer charges can accumulate quickly if workloads are not designed with cost efficiency in mind. Common pitfalls include routing traffic through a NAT Gateway unnecessarily, sending traffic between Availability Zones when it could remain within a single AZ, and using public IPs for EC2-to-EC2 communication inside the same VPC. Each of these patterns introduces avoidable per-GB charges.

In this lab, you will identify and correct these inefficient networking patterns by analyzing VPC Flow Logs and adjusting how services communicate. You will learn how to reduce unnecessary data transfer charges by creating a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3, using private IPs for EC2-to-EC2 transfers, and keeping instance communication within the same Availability Zone.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this intermediate-level lab, you will be able to:

• Identify sources of unnecessary AWS data transfer costs using VPC Flow Logs
• Compare EC2 transfers using public vs. private IPs
• Reduce cross-AZ data transfer costs by co-locating instances in the same Availability Zone
• Eliminate NAT Gateway charges for S3 access by creating a VPC Gateway Endpoint

Intended audience

• Cloud Architects
• DevOps Engineers
• Software Engineers

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the following will be beneficial but is not required:

• Amazon Virtual Private Cloud
• Networking in AWS

The following content can be used to fulfill the prerequisites:

• AWS Networking Features Essential for a Solutions Architect
• Creating and Using a VPC Endpoint Service
• Amazon VPC Flow Logs Challenge