AWS Guide: Secure Multi-Region Access with a Single VPN

Select Language:

If you’re looking to connect seven different regions through a single VPN entry point, you can absolutely make it happen. The best way to do this is by using a Hub-Spoke setup with AWS Transit Gateway and inter-region peering. Here’s how you can set it up step-by-step:

First, pick a central region to act as your hub—preferably the one closest to your office for less latency. In each of the seven regions, create a Transit Gateway (TGW). Next, establish one Site-to-Site VPN connection from your on-premises network to the hub region’s Transit Gateway. AWS recommends connecting via Transit Gateway instead of a Virtual Private Gateway because it’s more scalable and supports equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) routing.

Once your VPN is connected to the hub, create peering links between the hub Transit Gateway and each of the other six region’s Transit Gateways. Then, connect the Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) in each region to their nearby Transit Gateway. Finally, configure the routing tables: make sure the hub Transit Gateway routes traffic for each spoke region’s CIDRs to its peering connection, and each spoke’s Transit Gateway routes back to the hub to reach other regions.

This setup aligns with AWS’s whitepaper for multi-region hybrid connectivity, making your network scalable, secure, and easier to manage across multiple regions.

Now, let’s compare the options for remote access:

Site-to-Site VPN is the way to go if you want a permanent, reliable connection between your office or data center and AWS. It offers good bandwidth support (around 1.25 Gbps per tunnel), BGP routing, and can be incorporated into your Transit Gateway setup. It costs approximately 5 cents per hour per connection, plus data transfer charges. This connection can extend to all seven regions through the peering links.
Client VPN is designed for remote workers or individual users accessing AWS from laptops or mobile devices. It’s priced per endpoint and active connections and isn’t practical for connecting entire office networks across multiple regions. It’s better suited for remote access, not network-to-network connectivity.

So, for connecting your office to resources spread across seven regions, a Site-to-Site VPN linked to your Transit Gateway is the most efficient choice.

Regarding costs in the U.S. East region (as an example):

One Site-to-Site VPN connection costs about $36 monthly.
The hub Transit Gateway attachment costs roughly $36.50 per month.
Creating peering attachments between the hub and six spoke Transit Gateways adds up to about $219.
Each spoke Transit Gateway’s peering attachment costs another $219.
Connecting each spoke VPC to its local Transit Gateway will cost around $438 (for 12 total VPC attachments in six regions).
The hub VPC attachments are about $73 in total.

Overall, expect to pay around $1,020 each month, mainly driven by the Transit Gateway attachments. Data transfer costs (around 2 cents per GB) also apply, especially for inter-region traffic.

To keep your expenses in check, try to consolidate VPCs where possible, use route summarization, and place your hub in the closest region to your office to reduce traffic.

In summary:

Start with a Site-to-Site VPN connecting to a hub Transit Gateway, then peer to other regions.
If network management gets complicated, think about moving to AWS Cloud WAN for centralized control.
For higher performance or reliability needs, consider adding AWS Direct Connect with a Direct Connect Gateway, keeping VPN as a backup.
Always aim to minimize costs by consolidating shared services in your hub and optimizing your route settings.

This approach provides a reliable, scalable way to connect multiple AWS regions through a single, manageable point.