AWS VPC Peering Using Terraform: A Practical Guide

2025-02-16

Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) in AWS are essential for isolating networks, but there are scenarios where VPCs need to interact. VPC peering allows you to connect two VPCs, enabling resources in one VPC to communicate with resources in another VPC securely. This is particularly useful when you have multiple environments or services that need to share data without exposing them to the public internet.

Setting Up VPC Peering with Terraform

To set up VPC peering using Terraform, you can use the following example code. This code assumes you have two VPCs with non-overlapping CIDR blocks.

[hcl]
provider “aws” {
region = “us-west-2”
}

resource “aws_vpc” “vpc1” {
cidr_block = “10.0.0.0/16”
}

resource “aws_vpc” “vpc2” {
cidr_block = “10.1.0.0/16”
}

resource “aws_vpc_peering_connection” “peer” {
vpc_id = aws_vpc.vpc1.id
peer_vpc_id = aws_vpc.vpc2.id
auto_accept = true

tags = {
Name = “VPC Peering between VPC1 and VPC2”
}
}

resource “aws_route” “route1” {
route_table_id = aws_vpc.vpc1.main_route_table_id
destination_cidr_block = aws_vpc.vpc2.cidr_block
vpc_peering_connection_id = aws_vpc_peering_connection.peer.id
}

resource “aws_route” “route2” {
route_table_id = aws_vpc.vpc2.main_route_table_id
destination_cidr_block = aws_vpc.vpc1.cidr_block
vpc_peering_connection_id = aws_vpc_peering_connection.peer.id
}
[/hcl]

Key Commands for Managing VPC Peering

1. Check VPC Peering Status:

aws ec2 describe-vpc-peering-connections --vpc-peering-connection-ids <peering-connection-id>

2. Delete VPC Peering Connection:

aws ec2 delete-vpc-peering-connection --vpc-peering-connection-id <peering-connection-id>

3. Update Route Tables:

aws ec2 create-route --route-table-id <route-table-id> --destination-cidr-block <cidr-block> --vpc-peering-connection-id <peering-connection-id>

What Undercode Say

VPC peering is a powerful feature in AWS that allows you to connect multiple VPCs securely. By using Terraform, you can automate the setup process, making it easier to manage and scale your infrastructure. The example provided demonstrates how to create a VPC peering connection and update route tables to enable communication between VPCs.

In addition to VPC peering, AWS offers other networking solutions like Transit Gateway, which is ideal for managing multiple VPCs and on-premises networks. For those working with hybrid cloud environments, understanding these tools is crucial.

For further reading, check out the AWS VPC Peering Documentation and Terraform AWS Provider Documentation.

To enhance your skills, consider practicing with the following Linux commands, which are often used in cloud environments:

• Networking:

  ifconfig
  netstat -tuln
  ping <ip-address>
  

• Security:

  iptables -L
  ufw status
  

• System Monitoring:

  top
  htop
  df -h
  

By mastering these commands and tools, you can efficiently manage and secure your cloud infrastructure. Whether you’re working with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, understanding VPC peering and related networking concepts is essential for building robust and scalable systems.

References:

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