When to Use Direct Connect

Access to Multiple VPCs Within a Region from an On-premises Data Center

After you connect your on-premises data center to the cloud using Direct Connect, you can use a peering connection to connect the VPC that your on-premises data center is accessing to those in the same region, so that your on-premises data center can access all connected VPCs.

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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
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**Table 1** Comparisons of Direct Connect and VPN in hybrid cloud deployment
Cloud Service	Application Scenario	Description
Virtual Private Network (VPN)	Connect an on-premises data center to the cloud through an IPsec tunnel.	An encrypted tunnel is used to connect a VPC to an on-premises data center over the Internet. The tunnel features low cost, simple configuration, and ease-of-use. However, the network quality depends on the Internet.
Direct Connect	Connect an on-premises data center to the cloud using a dedicated network connection.	A dedicated connection connects a VPC to an on-premises data center. The connection features low latency, high security, and dedicated use. It is applicable to scenarios that require high network transmission quality and security.