Cloud Networking Done Right: A Practical Guide Series

Welcome to Cloud Networking Done Right

Cloud networking is the foundation of any successful cloud deployment. Whether you’re migrating to the cloud, building a new application, or optimizing your existing infrastructure, understanding networking fundamentals is crucial for security, performance, and cost-effectiveness.

This series provides practical, actionable guidance for building production-ready networks across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Each post includes copy-paste templates, real-world architecture patterns, troubleshooting guides, and cost optimization strategies.

📚 Series Overview

Quick Start: Choose Your Path

Core Networking Concepts (Universal)

Before diving into provider-specific details, let’s establish common concepts that apply across all cloud platforms:

Virtual Networks: The Foundation

Understanding CIDR Notation

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) is fundamental to cloud networking:

• /16 = 65,536 IP addresses (e.g., 10.0.0.0/16)
• /20 = 4,096 IP addresses (e.g., 10.0.0.0/20)
• /24 = 256 IP addresses (e.g., 10.0.1.0/24)
• /28 = 16 IP addresses (e.g., 10.0.1.0/28)

Planning Example:

Organization: 10.0.0.0/8

Production: 10.0.0.0/12
  - US-East: 10.0.0.0/16
  - EU-West: 10.1.0.0/16

Development: 10.16.0.0/12
  - Dev VPCs: 10.16.0.0/16, 10.17.0.0/16

Testing: 10.32.0.0/12
  - Test VPCs: 10.32.0.0/16, 10.33.0.0/16

Security: Defense in Depth

Pattern 1: Three-Tier Web Application

Use Case: Traditional web application with presentation, application, and data tiers

When to Use:

• Standard web applications
• E-commerce platforms
• Content management systems
• API-driven applications

Estimated Cost:

• AWS: $150-300/month
• Azure: $200-350/month
• GCP: $100-250/month

Pattern 2: Hub-and-Spoke (Enterprise)

Use Case: Large organization with multiple applications needing centralized connectivity

When to Use:

• 5+ separate applications/teams
• Need centralized security inspection
• Hybrid cloud with on-premises connectivity
• Compliance requirements

Estimated Cost:

• AWS: $300-600/month
• Azure: $400-700/month
• GCP: $250-500/month

Pattern 3: Multi-Region Active-Active

Use Case: Global application requiring low latency worldwide

When to Use:

• Global user base
• Disaster recovery requirements
• Compliance with data residency
• High availability SLAs (99.99%+)

Estimated Cost:

• AWS: $800-1500/month
• Azure: $1000-1800/month
• GCP: $700-1300/month

Before deploying any cloud network, answer these questions:

Planning

• IP Address Space: Have you documented CIDR blocks to avoid overlaps?
• Regions: Which regions will you deploy to?
• Availability Zones: How many AZs per region? (Minimum 2 recommended)
• Growth: Have you allocated extra IP space for future expansion?

Security

• Compliance: What standards must you meet (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2)?
• Data Classification: What data sensitivity levels exist?
• Access Control: Who needs access to which resources?
• Encryption: What encryption requirements exist?

Connectivity

• Internet Access: Which resources need public internet?
• On-Premises: Do you need VPN or dedicated connection?
• Inter-Region: Will you have cross-region traffic?
• Third-Party: Any SaaS integrations requiring private connectivity?

Operations

• Monitoring: What metrics and logs do you need?
• Alerting: What conditions trigger alerts?
• Backup: What’s your DR strategy?
• Cost Budget: What’s your monthly networking budget?

Issue 1: Can’t Connect to Private Instances

Symptoms: Unable to SSH/RDP, applications can’t reach internet

Quick Checks:

• Is there a NAT Gateway in a public subnet?
• Does the route table point to the NAT Gateway?
• Are security groups allowing traffic?

Modern Solution: Use cloud-native access tools

• AWS: Systems Manager Session Manager
• Azure: Azure Bastion
• GCP: Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP)

Issue 2: High NAT Gateway Costs

Root Cause: Traffic to cloud services going through NAT instead of private endpoints

Solution: Implement VPC/Private Endpoints

• Potential savings: $40-100/month per service
• Services to prioritize: Object storage, databases, container registries

Issue 3: Running Out of IP Addresses

Prevention: Plan generously from the start

Solutions:

• AWS: Add secondary CIDR blocks (up to 5)
• Azure: Expand VNet address space
• GCP: Add secondary IP ranges to subnets

Next Steps

Ready to dive deep into your cloud provider? Choose your path:

🟠 AWS Users

Continue to Part 1: AWS Networking Best Practices →

Learn about VPCs, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, and AWS-specific networking services.

🔵 Azure Users

Continue to Part 2: Azure Networking Best Practices →

Master VNets, ExpressRoute, Virtual WAN, and Azure networking architecture.

🔴 GCP Users

Continue to Part 3: GCP Networking Best Practices →

Explore global VPCs, Shared VPC, Cloud Interconnect, and GCP networking features.

🌐 Multi-Cloud Teams

Read all three parts to understand how to architect consistent networking across providers.

Additional Resources

• Documentation:

  • AWS VPC Documentation
  • Azure Virtual Network Documentation
  • Google Cloud VPC Documentation

• Tools:

  • Terraform AWS VPC Module
  • Azure Bicep Templates
  • Google Cloud Deployment Manager

• Community:

  • AWS re:Post
  • Azure Community
  • Google Cloud Community

About This Series

At Quabyt, we specialize in designing and implementing optimal cloud networking solutions across all major providers. This series distills our experience helping organizations build secure, scalable, and cost-effective cloud networks.

Need help with your cloud networking? Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

Continue the series:

• Part 1: AWS Networking Best Practices →
• Part 2: Azure Networking Best Practices →
• Part 3: GCP Networking Best Practices →