Understand the pros, cons of an AWS cloud VPN service

Businesses that need a cost-effective tool for remote access, enhanced security and online anonymity should look to a virtual private network.

Amazon Lightsail is a virtual private network (VPN) service that provides completely configured servers with computational, storage and networking capabilities. The AWS cloud VPN service includes a virtual machine for each VPN, solid-state-drive-based storage and domain management system, as well as a static IP address.

The AWS cloud VPN is an ideal option for the following workloads or company types:

• Test-and-dev environments. Developers regularly need to share data sets or log files over a network. This information stores in a sandbox or a preproduction environment to cover all test cases. Amazon Lightsail makes it easier to share data across the VPN without affecting the performance of production workloads.
• Web-scale startups. These companies might need to bypass filters and strike different websites or applications to extract meaningful information using web crawlers, including sites with IPs from different regions across the globe. Amazon Lightsail features provide online anonymity to pull data without any censorship.
• Amateur developers. The cloud is filled with bloggers and novice web developers. Lightsail gives users a friendly web interface to manage infrastructure without the need to navigate the complexity of the Command Line Interface.
• Traditional web host users. The AWS cloud VPN provides a cost-competitive virtual private server or VM alternative in the cloud -- with an accessible VPN and enhanced security.
• Modern web interface. Modern enterprises might prefer Amazon Lightsail's user-friendly interface, which is simpler to use than the AWS Management Console.

Additionally, Amazon Lightsail boast the following pros -- but also has a few cons.

Pros:

• Intuitive domain name system (DNS) management system;
• Secure Socket Shell key management;
• Networking and data transfer;
• Server monitoring; and
• Access to AWS tools and services.

Cons:

• There's no cPanel;
• It doesn't support Windows VPS; and
• The user needs to buy snapshots and DNS queries.

While the absence of a cPanel might be a drawback to users who are well-accustomed to the Unix-based console for common administrative tasks, Amazon Lightsail is a less expensive, easy-to-use alternative to traditional web hosts. It can also integrate with other AWS tools, such as Elastic MapReduce and Elastic Compute Cloud.