What does a VPC Peering Connection enable?

A VPC Peering Connection enables routing traffic between two Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) privately. This means that resources in one VPC can communicate with resources in another VPC as if they were part of the same network. The connection facilitates private, secure communication without the need for public IP addresses or internet gateways, allowing data to be exchanged directly between the two VPCs.

When VPC peering is established, it creates a networking connection that can be used for participants in scenarios such as sharing resources like databases, or applications, or simply enabling applications in different VPCs to communicate effectively. This solution is particularly valuable in cloud architectures where microservices may span across different VPCs or where there is a need to maintain a high level of security and data privacy.

This functionality contrasts with options like direct internet access, which involves public connectivity rather than private networking, and options like establishing connections to on-premises systems or creating isolated environments, which do not directly relate to the peering capabilities providing seamless intra-cloud communication.