Overview
A Direct Connect Gateway allows you to use a single AWS Direct Connect connection to access multiple VPCs across different AWS Regions (except China) within the same AWS account.
It provides a centralized routing point for Direct Connect, avoiding the need to set up individual connections for each VPC.
Key Benefits
- Centralized connectivity: One DX connection can serve multiple VPCs in multiple Regions.
- Cost efficiency: Reduces the need for multiple physical connections and ports.
- Simplified routing: Acts as a hub for connecting on-premises networks to multiple VPCs.
- Works with private virtual interfaces (VIFs) for VPC access and transit virtual interfaces for Transit Gateway access.
Exam Tips
- Direct Connect Gateway + Transit Gateway → supports multi-account and multi-VPC connectivity.
- Can span multiple Regions but cannot connect VPCs in different AWS partitions (e.g., GovCloud to Commercial).
- Does not support public VIF traffic — only for private connectivity to VPCs