Help Center/ Direct Connect/ Service Overview/ Application Scenarios
Updated on 2026-01-06 GMT+08:00
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Application Scenarios

Access to Multiple VPCs from an On-premises Data Center

After you connect your on-premises data center to the cloud using Direct Connect, you can use Cloud Connect to connect the VPC that your on-premises data center is accessing to those in other regions, so that your on-premises data center can access all connected VPCs.

Hybrid Cloud Deployment

Direct Connect allows you to build a hybrid environment for your on-premises data center and leverage the scalability of the cloud to expand the computing capability of your applications.

Figure 1 Hybrid cloud
Table 1 Comparisons of Direct Connect and VPN in hybrid cloud deployment

Cloud Service

Scenario

Description

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Connect an on-premises data center to the cloud through an IPsec tunnel.

VPN uses an encrypted communications tunnel to connect a VPC on the cloud to an on-premises data center and sends traffic over the Internet. It is inexpensive, easy to configure, and easy to use. However, VPN connections may be affected by the Internet quality.

Direct Connect

Connect an on-premises data center to the cloud using a dedicated network connection.

Direct Connect provides physical connections between VPCs and data centers. It has the advantages of low latency and is very secure. Direct Connect is a good choice when there are strict requirements on network transmission quality.