A VPC endpoint lets you connect your VPC to AWS services privately, without needing an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN, or Direct Connect. Endpoints are virtual devices that are highly available and allow communication between instances in your VPC and services. This saves costs and reduces availability risks and bandwidth constraints.

There are three types of VPC endpoints: gateway load balancer, gateway, and interface endpoints.

Gateway load balancer endpoints route traffic to network or security services, while gateway endpoints provide access to S3 and DynamoDB, with granular access control via VPC endpoint policies.

The Gateway endpoint type lets you access Amazon S3 and DynamoDB, with granular control via VPC endpoint policies. These policies can restrict access to specific resources, allowing certain users or groups to access them through the VPC endpoint.

Interface endpoint type lets you connect to services powered by AWS PrivateLink, including AWS and partner services, without relying on the public internet. Like Gateway endpoints, Interface endpoints can be secured with resource policies and security groups to restrict access.

VPC sharing enables multiple AWS accounts to create application resources within a centralized network, which can include EC2 instances, RDS databases, and Lambda functions. Establishing strict access controls is important for organizational security and compliance objectives, while also maintaining operational efficiency.