Alibaba Cloud Create and Manage Prefix Lists, Use Cases

Bhavesh Panchal -

Introduction

As a cloud engineer, you know that managing network traffic is critical to the success of any organization.

Alibaba Cloud Prefix Lists are an essential tool for achieving this goal. A prefix list is a set of IP address prefixes that can be used to control access to network resources. In this blog post, we'll explore Alibaba Cloud Prefix List, how to create and manage them, and their use cases.

Let's dive in!

What is Alibaba Cloud Prefix List?

An Alibaba Cloud Prefix List is a set of IP address prefixes that can be used to control access to network resources. It is similar to an access control list (ACL), but instead of individual IP addresses, it is based on a range of IP addresses. Prefix lists are commonly used in routing protocols to filter inbound traffic.

Alibaba Cloud Prefix List enables you to create and manage a list of IP address prefixes that can be used to control access to network resources. You can use Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to allow or deny traffic from specific IP address ranges. It provides a flexible way to manage network traffic by creating rules based on IP addresses. Alibaba Cloud Prefix List is an essential tool for network security and traffic management.

Alibaba Cloud Prefix List is easy to use and can be created and managed using the Alibaba Cloud Console or the Alibaba Cloud API. You can use Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to create rules that allow or deny traffic to specific IP address ranges.

How to Create and Manage Alibaba Cloud Prefix List?

A prefix list in Alibaba Cloud is a set of IP address prefixes that can be used to control network traffic within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) or Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance. Prefix lists are mainly used in network ACLs and routing policies to allow or deny traffic based on source or destination IP address ranges.

Create and Manage Prefix Lists: To create and manage prefix lists in Alibaba Cloud, you can follow these steps:

Step 1. Create a Prefix List:

  • Log in to the Alibaba Cloud console and navigate to the VPC or ECS service.
  • Create a new prefix list by specifying a name, description, and the desired IP address ranges.
  • Associate the prefix list with a VPC or ECS instance by specifying the appropriate network ACL or routing table.
  • Configure the network ACL rules or routing policies to use the prefix list for allowing or denying traffic.
  • Save the Prefix List.
Create Prefix List in VPC
Create a Prefix list in ECS

Step 2: Associate the Prefix List with a Security Group

  1. Navigate to the ECS service within the Alibaba Cloud console.
  2. Find the security group associated with the target ECS instance and click on its ID.
  1. In the security group details, click on the "Inbound Rules" tab.
  2. Add a new rule to allow inbound traffic.
  3. Set the protocol and port range according to your requirements.
  4. Set the source IP address to the prefix list you created (AllowedIPPrefixList).
  5. Save the security group configuration.

Step 3: Test the Access Control

  1. Connect to your ECS instance either through SSH or any other remote access method.
  2. Confirm that the ECS instance is running and accessible.
  3. From a device outside the VPC, attempt to connect to the ECS instance using an IP address outside the allowed range.
  4. The connection attempt should fail, indicating that the access control based on the prefix list is working correctly.
  5. Repeat the connection attempt using an IP address within the allowed range.
  6. The connection should succeed, confirming that access is granted for the specified IP range.

You can also manage the prefix list using the Alibaba Cloud API. The API provides a programmatic way to create, modify, and delete prefix lists. You can use the API to automate the creation and management of prefix lists.

Use Cases for Alibaba Cloud Prefix List

Now that we understand what Alibaba Cloud Prefix Lists are and how they work, let’s explore the various use cases for them.

Use Case 1: Restricting Access to Your VPC

One of the most common use cases for Alibaba Cloud Prefix Lists is to restrict access to your VPC. By using a Prefix List to allow traffic only from specific IP addresses, you can ensure that only authorized users can access your VPC. This can help improve your network security and reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your network.

For example, let’s say you have a web application running on your VPC. You can use an Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to allow traffic only from specific IP addresses, such as your company’s IP addresses or a specific set of IP addresses that you trust. This can help prevent unauthorized access to your web application and improve your network security.

Use Case 2: Load Balancing Traffic

Another use case for Alibaba Cloud Prefix Lists is to load balance traffic between multiple servers. By using a Prefix List to allow traffic only from specific IP addresses, you can ensure that traffic is evenly distributed between your servers. This can help improve your network performance and reduce the risk of network congestion.

For example, let’s say you have multiple web servers running on your VPC. You can use an Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to load balance traffic between your servers. By allowing traffic only from specific IP addresses, you can ensure that traffic is evenly distributed between your servers and that your network performance is optimized.

Use Case 3: Reducing Network Costs

Another use case for Alibaba Cloud Prefix Lists is to reduce network costs. By using a Prefix List to allow traffic only from specific IP addresses, you can reduce the amount of unwanted traffic on your network. This can help reduce your network costs by reducing the amount of network traffic that you need to pay for.

For example, let’s say you have a database running on your VPC. You can use an Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to allow traffic only from specific IP addresses, such as your company’s IP addresses or a specific set of IP addresses that you trust. By doing this, you can reduce the amount of unwanted traffic on your network and reduce your network costs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Alibaba Cloud Prefix List is an essential tool for network traffic management and security. It enables you to create and manage a list of IP address prefixes that can be used to control access to network resources.

You can use Alibaba Cloud Prefix List to allow or deny traffic from specific IP address ranges, providing an additional layer of security for your network. Alibaba Cloud Prefix List is easy to use and can be created and managed using the Alibaba Cloud Console or the Alibaba Cloud API.

As a cloud engineer, you should be familiar with Alibaba Cloud Prefix List and its use cases. It is a powerful tool for managing network traffic, and it should be in your toolkit.