Connect to Your Network¶
Connecting Nautobot Cloud to your network is essential for enabling advanced automation features like Ansible AWX or NautobotGPT. These services require a secure site-to-site connection to monitor or manage your network. There are three ways to establish this connection.
Three Ways to Connect¶
Your Nautobot Cloud account comes with a dedicated Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), containing all your Nautobot Cloud services. Nautobot Cloud provides several options to securely connect to this VPC, giving your Nautobot Cloud instances to your on-premises or cloud-based network infrastructure.
Comparison Chart¶
| Method | Description | Use Case | Self-Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Private Network | Establish a secure VPN connection between your Nautobot Cloud account's network and your company's cloud or on-prem network. | Organizations with little or no AWS presence and those who need quick setup and teardown. | Yes |
| AWS Transit Gateway | Use a and AWS VPC as Nautobot's point of contact to your network, optionally forwarding traffic to your on-prem network as well. | Organizations with VPCs set up, especially with routing centralized around this VPC. | No, contact support. |
| AWS Direct Connect | Use a dedicated physical network connection from your on-premises data center to an AWS delivery partner. | Those with an existing AWS Direct Connect setup or have high bandwidth, low latency requirements. | No, contact support. |
Choosing a connection method¶
To choose the right connectivity method for you, consider the following factors:
- Is your network on-prem, cloud-based, or hybrid?
- Do you have an AWS account? If so, what is your level of AWS presence?
- What is your network's best point of contact for external networking services?
For a self-serve setup without AWS, connect using a site-to-site VPN. For a simple cloud-based connection, connect using AWS Transit Gateway. Finally, if you already have a physical link to an AWS datacenter, connect using AWS Direct Connect for minimum latency, maximum bandwidth, and excellent consistency. The decision tree below serves as a general guide for most use cases. Contact support for additional guidance.
For help deciding on a connectivity method for your use case, contact support.
How to Get Started¶
Setting up a VPN connection is fully self-serve (find out how). The AWS Transit Gateway and AWS Direct Connect options require that you contact support.