Moving mission-critical workloads to AWS raises one key question: should you use AWS Direct Connect, or is the public internet good enough?
The answer depends on your specific workload. However, for most enterprise applications, the performance and security gap between the two is bigger than most IT teams expect.
This guide breaks down what AWS Direct Connect does, where the public internet falls short, and how to choose the right approach for your workload.
What Is AWS Direct Connect?
AWS Direct Connect is a dedicated network service. It creates a private connection between your on-premises infrastructure and Amazon Web Services.
Instead of routing traffic over the public internet — through multiple carriers and shared bandwidth — Direct Connect gives you a private, consistent path to AWS.
Connections range from 50 Mbps up to 100 Gbps. You connect at an AWS Direct Connect location, usually a colocation data centre. From there, traffic flows directly into the AWS backbone. It never touches the public internet.
There are three main connection types:
- Dedicated Connection — A physical port reserved for your organisation at an AWS Direct Connect location.
- Hosted Connection — A lower-cost option. Here, a network provider like DCConnect provides a sub-rate connection via their dedicated port.
- Transit Gateway — Lets a single Direct Connect connection reach multiple VPCs across multiple AWS accounts.
AWS Direct Connect vs Public Internet: The Core Differences
The table below compares the two options across six key factors. As a result, the tradeoffs become clear at a glance.
| Factor | AWS Direct Connect | Public Internet |
| Latency | Consistent, low latency (1–5 ms within region) | Variable — spikes common during congestion, 20–100 ms+ |
| Bandwidth | Guaranteed, dedicated (50 Mbps–100 Gbps) | Shared, contended — actual throughput unpredictable |
| Reliability | 99.99% SLA available with redundant connections | No SLA — BGP routing can change paths without notice |
| Security | Traffic never traverses public internet — fully private | Data crosses shared infrastructure; exposed to interception |
| Cost | Higher monthly cost (port fees + provider fees) | Lower cost — standard internet egress fees from AWS |
| Setup Time | Days to weeks, depending on colocation access | Immediate — configure and connect |
| Best For | Mission-critical apps, databases, compliance workloads | Dev/test, low-sensitivity data, burst traffic |
When Does AWS Direct Connect Make a Measurable Difference?
Not every workload needs Direct Connect. However, the performance gap is significant for certain use cases. Here are the five scenarios where it matters most.
1. High-Volume Data Transfer
Transferring large datasets over public internet is unpredictable and expensive. This includes backup jobs, analytics pipelines, and database replication.
AWS charges egress fees, so moving terabytes every day adds up quickly. However, Direct Connect’s consistent bandwidth often delivers faster transfers. As a result, the total cost is often lower than public internet egress fees alone.
2. Real-Time Applications
Trading platforms, video conferencing infrastructure, and real-time analytics are all latency-sensitive. Even a 20 ms spike on the public internet can cause timeouts or dropped connections.
As a result, user experience suffers. Direct Connect, however, delivers consistent and predictable latency. This makes real-time applications significantly more reliable.
3. Compliance and Data Sovereignty
Financial services, healthcare, and government workloads often require that data never cross public networks.
AWS Direct Connect keeps data on a private path between your facility and AWS. As a result, it satisfies most major compliance frameworks. These include PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.
4. Hybrid Cloud Architectures
Many enterprises run a mix of on-premises and AWS workloads. In that case, Direct Connect makes the connection behave like a private network extension rather than an internet link.
In other words, applications communicate across environments with consistent, predictable performance.
5. Burst-Heavy Workloads with Predictable Costs
AWS internet egress fees can grow quickly when workloads generate large outbound traffic volumes. However, Direct Connect pricing is predictable. You pay a fixed port charge plus data transfer rates that are much lower than public internet egress.
How Private Cloud Connectivity Works in Asia
For enterprises in Southeast Asia and East Asia, the routing advantages of Direct Connect are even more pronounced. Public internet routing across Asia can involve many carrier handoffs.
As a result, BGP paths become unpredictable and latency variance increases. This is especially true for cross-border connections between countries in the region.
DCConnect provides private cloud connectivity to AWS across Asia. We use our own network infrastructure and partner colocation facilities. These include locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur.
Connecting to AWS Direct Connect through DCConnect gives you:
- Access to AWS via private paths at key APAC locations — including Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Sydney
- Hosted connection options starting at 50 Mbps. No need to commit to a full dedicated port before your traffic justifies it.
- BGP routing with full control over your traffic paths
- 24/7 NOC support across Asia time zones
Public Internet for AWS: When It’s Actually Fine
Direct Connect isn’t the right choice for every use case. In fact, the public internet with a VPN works well for many scenarios. These include:
- Development and test environments, where occasional latency spikes are tolerable
- Applications with low data volumes and no real-time requirements
- Small teams accessing AWS management consoles or low-traffic web applications
- Temporary connectivity while Direct Connect provisioning is underway
For these workloads, an internet-based VPN to AWS is cost-effective and simple to manage.
AWS Direct Connect Cost Breakdown
Understanding Direct Connect pricing helps you decide if the investment makes sense. Here are the four main cost components.
Port fees: AWS charges for dedicated port hours at speeds from 1G to 100G. However, hosted connections from providers like DCConnect remove this direct cost. Instead, you pay the provider.
Data transfer out: Direct Connect rates are much lower than internet egress. For high-volume workloads, this saving alone can justify the investment.
Provider fees: If you use a hosted connection, you’ll pay the provider’s port and bandwidth fees.
Cross-connect fees: At colocation facilities, there may also be a fee for the physical connection between your provider’s equipment and the AWS Direct Connect cage.
Most enterprises that transfer more than 5 TB per month out of AWS find that Direct Connect pays for itself. In fact, that’s based on egress savings alone — before factoring in performance improvements.
Setting Up AWS Direct Connect: The Process
Setting up Direct Connect involves six steps. In most cases, DCConnect handles the first four for you.
- Order a connection via the AWS console, or through a hosted connection provider like DCConnect.
- Select the Direct Connect location nearest to your infrastructure. We can advise on the best APAC location.
- Establish the physical cross-connect at the colocation facility.
- Configure BGP peering with AWS. DCConnect handles this step for managed-service customers.
- Create Virtual Interfaces (VIFs) to connect to your VPCs or Transit Gateways.
- Test and validate connectivity before moving production traffic over.
With DCConnect’s hosted connection service, most connections go live within 3–5 business days from order confirmation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use AWS Direct Connect alongside public internet as a backup?
Yes — and this is actually the recommended approach. Direct Connect handles production traffic. Meanwhile, a site-to-site VPN over internet provides automatic failover if the Direct Connect path goes down.
Does AWS Direct Connect work for all AWS services?
It works for most AWS services via public or private VIFs. Public VIFs connect to public AWS endpoints like S3 and CloudFront. Private VIFs, however, connect to resources inside your VPCs.
Is Direct Connect available in all APAC countries?
AWS has Direct Connect locations in Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Mumbai, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Osaka. Additionally, DCConnect’s APAC network coverage extends private connectivity to your offices or data centres across Southeast Asia.
How is DCConnect’s hosted connection different from ordering Direct Connect directly from AWS?
AWS requires you to work with a colocation provider for dedicated connections. This involves physical provisioning, which takes time. DCConnect’s hosted connection, by contrast, is a logical connection over our existing infrastructure. As a result, it’s faster to provision, with a lower minimum commitment and local NOC support included.
What is the minimum bandwidth available for Direct Connect?
Through DCConnect hosted connections, you can start at 50 Mbps and scale up from there. Dedicated connections from AWS, by comparison, start at 1 Gbps.