Virtual Private Cloud
Definition
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a secure, isolated private cloud hosted within a public cloud. A VPC allows an organization to run their code, store data, host websites, and do anything else they could do in an on-premises private cloud, but hosted on a public cloud provider's infrastructure.
Why It Matters
VPC is a fundamental networking construct in the cloud. It gives you your own logically isolated section of the cloud where you can launch resources in a virtual network that you define, providing control over your network environment, including IP address ranges, subnets, and firewalls.
Contextual Example
A user creates a VPC in AWS. Inside the VPC, they create a public subnet for their web servers (which need to be accessible from the internet) and a private subnet for their databases (which should not be directly accessible).
Common Misunderstandings
- VPC is the term used by AWS and GCP. In Azure, the equivalent service is called a Virtual Network (VNet).
- It is a foundational service that provides the networking layer for most other cloud services.