Cloud Networking

Cloud networking provides the virtual network infrastructure — VPCs, subnets, gateways, load balancers, peering, and DNS — that connects workloads within a cloud provider and to external networks, replacing physical cables and appliances with software-defined constructs.

itCloud computing

Cloud Networking

Cloud networking connects workloads, users, offices, the internet, and managed cloud services. You build it from software-defined networks, addresses, routes, gateways, traffic filters, name resolution, and traffic-distribution services.

The cloud changes how you operate these familiar networking ideas. You declare network resources through an API. The provider implements them on shared infrastructure. You can create or remove a network in minutes, but speed does not remove the need for careful design.

Your central question is always the same: Which traffic should travel from this source to that destination, through which path, under which controls?

Start with the packet path

A useful mental model has five checks:

Name: How does the source resolve a service name to an address?
Route: Which route matches the destination, and what is its next hop?
Policy: Which filters allow or deny the flow?
Translation or distribution: Does a gateway translate the address, or does a load balancer select a healthy target?
Return path: Can the response travel back through a compatible route and policy?

When an application times out, trace these checks in order. “The network is down” is rarely precise enough to help.

Virtual networks are isolation and routing scopes

Cloud providers offer a virtual network, often called a VPC or VNet. It gives your resources a private addressing and routing scope. You divide that address space into subnets and place network interfaces or managed services in those subnets.

A subnet is an IP prefix, not a security boundary by itself. A route table decides where matching traffic goes. A firewall rule, security group, or network access rule decides which traffic may pass. Providers attach these controls to different scopes, so you must learn the exact evaluation model of your chosen platform.

Cloud Networking

Start with the packet path

Virtual networks are isolation and routing scopes

Relevant careers