Private link VS VPC Gateway Endpoint to connect to S3?

The choice between VPC Endpoint (Gateway) and PrivateLink for S3 depends on your specific architecture and requirements:

Use VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 when:

Standard S3 access scenarios:

• Accessing S3 from EC2 instances within your VPC

• You want the simplest, most cost-effective solution

• Standard S3 operations (GetObject, PutObject, etc.)

• Traffic stays within AWS backbone without internet routing

Benefits:

• Free - no additional charges

• Easy to set up - just create the endpoint and update route tables

• High performance with AWS's internal network

• Supports all S3 operations

Limitations:

• Only works from within the VPC where it's created

• Cannot be accessed from on-premises or other VPCs

• Limited to S3 and DynamoDB services

Use PrivateLink for S3 when:

Complex connectivity scenarios:

• Accessing S3 from on-premises networks via VPN/Direct Connect

• Cross-VPC access to S3 (from peered VPCs)

• Need consistent private IP addresses for S3 access

• Accessing S3 from multiple VPCs through Transit Gateway

• Corporate networks with strict routing requirements

Benefits:

• Works across VPC boundaries

• Accessible from on-premises through VPN/Direct Connect

• Provides consistent private IP endpoints

• Better integration with hybrid cloud architectures

• More granular DNS and routing control

Considerations:

• Costs money - hourly charges plus data processing fees

• Slightly more complex setup

• May have minor performance overhead vs Gateway Endpoint

Decision Framework:

Choose Gateway Endpoint if: Simple VPC-to-S3 access, cost-sensitive, standard use case

Choose PrivateLink if: Multi-VPC environments, on-premises integration, need consistent IP addressing, or complex network topologies

Most organizations start with Gateway Endpoints for basic S3 access and add PrivateLink when they need the additional connectivity features.