Microsoft Azure → Amazon Web Services
AWS equivalent of Azure Virtual WAN
The closest AWS equivalents of Azure Virtual WAN are AWS Transit Gateway and AWS Cloud WAN.
About Azure Virtual WAN
| Provider | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|
| Status | Generally available |
| What it is | Microsoft-managed hubs (full mesh in the Standard type) that connect virtual networks, branches (VPN and SD-WAN), remote users, and ExpressRoute, with optional secured hubs using Azure Firewall. |
| Documentation | learn.microsoft.com |
| Pricing | Official pricing page |
AWS mappings (2)
| Capability | AWS equivalent | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Hub-and-spoke transit routing | AWS Transit Gateway | Partial match |
| Policy-defined global WAN | AWS Cloud WAN | Partial match |
Network-to-network & hybrid connectivity(2)
Hub-and-spoke transit routing Partial match
AWS Transit Gateway maps to Azure Virtual WAN. Many Azure designs instead build a customer-managed hub virtual network (with Azure Firewall or an NVA, plus gateways), optionally deployed with Virtual Network Manager.
- Scope. Transit Gateway is regional and peers with other transit gateways across Regions. Virtual WAN hubs in a Standard virtual WAN are fully meshed across regions automatically.
- Security. Virtual WAN can host Azure Firewall or partner NVAs in secured hubs, managed through Firewall Manager. On AWS, inspection usually uses an inspection VPC with Network Firewall or a Gateway Load Balancer, or native Network Firewall attachments.
- Routes. Microsoft's comparison notes that Transit Gateway allows 100 BGP prefixes per attachment, while Virtual WAN private peering allows 1,000. Check current quotas for your design.
Policy-defined global WAN Partial match
AWS Cloud WAN maps most closely to Azure Virtual WAN, with Virtual Network Manager for policy-based grouping and security rules.
- Policy model. Cloud WAN is driven by a single JSON core network policy that defines Regions, segments, and attachment rules. Virtual WAN uses hubs, route tables, and routing intent; Virtual Network Manager adds network groups and admin rules.
- Segmentation. Cloud WAN segments are global routing domains. Virtual WAN segments with custom route tables and labels in each hub.