A VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) in AWS is a logically isolated section of the AWS cloud where you can launch and manage resources like EC2, RDS, and Lambda in a secure and customizable virtual network. In this section, you can also control IP ranges, subnets, route tables, and more.
This guide walks you through the steps to create a VPC manually using the AWS Console. Let’s get started.
How to create a VPC in AWS
Step 1: Open the VPC Dashboard
Sign in to the AWS Management Dashboards using your credentials. Once you’re inside the AWS Console, type VPC in the search bar and select it from the services list that shows up. This opens the Amazon VPC Dashboard.
Step 2: Create a VPC
On the left-hand menu, click on Your VPCs and then click on the Create VPC button on the top right.
It’s important to note that you need to choose the VPC only option under the VPC creation method. This will give you full control over the network setup (IP range, subnets, etc.).
Once done, click Next to continue.
Step 3: Configure VPC settings
Fill out the following VPC details:
Name tag: Give your VPC a name (e.g., my-first-vpc)
IPv4 CIDR block: Choose an IP range, like 10.0.0.0/16
IPv6 CIDR block: Optional – select “No IPv6 CIDR Block” if not needed
Tenancy: Choose Default
Click on the Create VPC button when done.
Step 4: Create subnets
After creating the VPC, you need to create at least one subnet. For this, go to the left menu again and click on Subnets and then Create subnet.
Here, select your newly created VPC and add a name, Availability Zone, and CIDR block for it.
You can create multiple subnets across different Availability Zones for high availability.
Click Create subnet once done.
If you want to allow public access, go to Internet gateways > click Create internet gateway, put a name for it and click on Create. Now, select the gateway and click Actions > Attach to VPC, choose your VPC and click Attach.
Step 5: Update the route table for the subnet
Go to Route tables and find the one associated with your subnet. Click on it, go to Routes and click on Edit routes.
Here, add a new route with a destination and target.
Step 6: Launch resources in your VPC
Now that your VPC is ready, you can launch EC2 instances, RDS databases, and other AWS services inside it. Just choose your custom VPC and subnet during the setup process.
