VPC Peering: Data Transfer FREE In AZs From May 2021!
Are you looking to optimize your cloud infrastructure costs, particularly when it comes to data transfer within your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) environment? Effective May 1st, 2021, a significant shift occurred in the pricing model for Amazon VPC peering, specifically within Availability Zones (AZs), offering a compelling incentive for strategic network design. This change has the potential to drastically reduce your cloud expenses, making it crucial to understand the nuances of this update and its implications for your AWS deployments.
Let's delve into the specifics of VPC peering pricing. There's no charge for the creation of a VPC peering connection itself. This is a fundamental aspect, allowing for flexible and scalable network architectures without upfront costs. However, the real cost savings begin with data transfer. The announcement on May 1st, 2021, introduced a pivotal change: all data transfer over a VPC peering connection that remains within a single Availability Zone is now free of charge. This applies even if the data transfer occurs between different AWS accounts, offering enhanced flexibility and collaboration options.
To provide a clearer picture and support the details of this update and the impact it can have, the following table provides information that helps in making informed decision.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
Creation Cost | Free |
Intra-AZ Data Transfer | Free (Starting May 1, 2021) |
Inter-AZ Data Transfer | Standard Data Transfer Rates (see EC2 Pricing) |
Cross-Region Data Transfer | Standard Data Transfer Rates (see EC2 Pricing) |
Benefit | Cost Savings, Flexible Architecture |


