What Are the Differences Between VPC Endpoints and VPC Peering Connections?

Security

All resources in a VPC, such as ECSs and load balancers, can be accessed.

Only the ECSs and load balancers that are configured as VPC endpoint services can be accessed.

Overlapping CIDR blocks

Not supported

If two VPCs have overlapping subnets, the VPC peering connection will not work.

Supported

If you use a VPC endpoint to connect two VPCs, you do not have to worry about overlapping subnets.

Communications mode

VPCs connected through a peering connection can communicate with each other.

Requests can only be initiated from a VPC endpoint to a VPC endpoint service through a specified port, but not the other way around.

Route configuration

You have to configure routes for the VPCs so that they can communicate with each other.

The routes are configured by the system.

Access using VPN/Direct Connect

Supported

If you have connected your on-premises data center to a VPC through VPN or Direct Connect, you can use a VPC peering connection to allow your on-premises data center to access the cloud services in another VPC.

Supported

If you have connected your on-premises data center to a VPC through VPN or Direct Connect, you can use a VPC endpoint to allow your on-premises data center to access cloud services that have been configured as VPC endpoint services.

Cross-region access

Not supported

VPC Peering supports only communications between two VPCs in the same region.

VPC Endpoint does not support cross-region access.

You can use Cloud Connect to enable communications between VPCs in different regions.