Do I need a NAT gateway? Maybe. Here’s how to decide if it’s right for your company.

Would you need a NAT gateway?

Short answer:

Yes. No in a specific case. Possible alternative for other uses.

Longer answer?

Making AWS infrastructure choices that are right for your company can be overwhelming. There are so many things to consider. For instance, many new users want to know Do I need an AWS NAT gateway at all?

This blog post will help you find the answer and decide if it's the right fit for your specific needs. We'll look at instances where you’ll need a NAT gateway versus when you can do without. After that, we’ll be delving into some alternative approaches. So, let’s figure out if NAT gateways have a role to play in your AWS journey.

So what is a NAT anyway?

An NAT (Network Address Translation) essentially bridges your private network with the public internet.

To put it more formally, it’s a device within a VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) that enables instances with private IP addresses to connect to the internet or other AWS services.

That way you can use your instances to communicate with the outside world without exposing their private IP addresses—and hiding them from potential threats.

By using a NAT gateway, you tighten up the security of your VPC and prevent unauthorized access to your instances.

When do you need an NAT for AWS?

That said, one look at the AWS NAT gateway pricing is enough to get most people wondering if they even need it. Well, you do if you also:

Run critical applications with high traffic
Must maintain a high level of security
Rely on various external services beyond your control for your application since the gateway offers a centralized solution for outbound traffic.

When can you do without an NAT

The above conditions don’t apply to you? Still wondering if with AWS do i need a NAT gateway?

You can do without it if you're running:

Low-traffic applications that can use alternative solutions like VPC endpoints.
Applications living in isolation with limited external dependencies
Development and testing environments that are less critical and trafficked than production environments

Looking for ways to cut down on your AWS spend without accidentally cutting a crucial service? We created a guide to get you in control of your AWS costs.

A good alternative to NAT AWS? Fck_nat

Fck_nat is an open-source, self-hosted NAT solution you can use within AWS VPCs. Its similar functionality to a NAT AWS gateway allows your private instances to initiate outbound connections.

However, unlike a NAT gateway, Fck_nat runs on your own EC2 instances, giving you more control and potentially reducing costs. It’s also more cost effective in low-traffic environments.

That said, this AWS NAT gateway alternative also comes with a few considerations, such as:

Set up and management requires more technical expertise compared to the simplicity of a managed NAT gateway.
While fck_nat can be scaled by adding more instances, the process needs manual intervention compared to the automatic scaling of a NAT gateway.
Securing the EC2 instances running fck_nat is your responsibility and won't happen automatically as it does with NAT.

Conclusion

If you want optimal performance and a well-structured AWS infrastructure, don't blindly follow the "use NAT AWS gateways everywhere" approach.

Instead, determine your specific needs, such as security, traffic volume, budget, and team's expertise. Then, see if it makes more economic sense for you to use alternative solutions like VPC endpoints.

Or, you can talk to our experts who can help you optimize your AWS costs, identify areas where you can save money, and help you maximize the value of your AWS credits. That way, you can just focus on building and launching your product!

FAQs

Why should I Use NAT Gateway?

You should use a NAT Gateway if you need to:

Mask private IP addresses of your instances
Uncomplicate a network configuration for complex environments with multiple subnets
Provide reliable outbound connectivity

Do I need a NAT Gateway per Availability Zone?

Yes, you need a NAT Gateway per availability zone for redundancy, improved overall reliability and fault tolerance of your VPC, in case of failures.

Do I need NAT Enabled on my Router?

No, you don't need NAT enabled on your router since the NAT gateway handles the network address translation function without the need for additional NAT configuration.

What’s AWS NAT gateway free tier?

There’s no AWS NAT gateway free tier. However, using EC2 instances configured as NAT instances can provide basic functionality albeit with limitations, such as manual management, potential downtimes, and higher admin-related overhead costs.