VLANs are private virtual local area networks that are available at no additional cost to users in select data centers. They operate on layer 2 of the OSI networking model and are entirely isolated from other networks. VLANs are a key part of enabling private and secure communication between Compute Instances on the Compute Instance platform. They function like a virtual network switch, which effectively means all Compute Instances connected to the same VLAN can communicate with each other like they were directly connected to the same physical Ethernet network. Devices outside the network cannot see any traffic within the private network.

Features

Private communication between Compute Instances

A VLAN creates a truly private network and communication is isolated to just the Compute Instances belonging to the same VLAN. No other Compute Instances on other VLANs or within the same data center can see this private traffic. This goes beyond the Private IP feature, which can be accessed by any resource in the same data center.

Simple configuration

Use Cloud Manager to create a VLAN and assign Compute Instances. Create up to 10 VLANs per data center and assign each Compute Instance to up to 3 VLANs.

Reduce network transfer costs

Private network transfer is free. Any communication between Compute Instances over a VLAN does not count against the account's monthly network transfer allowance.

Part of a flexible custom VPC solution

Since VLANs operate on layer 2 of the OSI networking stack, you can use them as part of a custom VPC solution, which typically operates on layer 3. VLAN users can implement their own firewall policies, routing, and security systems to build out their VPC.

Availability

VLANs are available in all data centers.

Pricing

VLANs are free to use. Communication across your private network does not count against your monthly network transfer usage.

Technical specifications

• Fully isolated private networking for Cloud-based resources
• Operates on Layer 2 of the OSI model (the data link layer) and, as such, can be more flexible than Layer 3 based VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) solutions
• Supports all logical Ethernet features, such as L2 broadcast and L2 multicast
• Supports any Layer 3 protocol, including IP (Internet Protocol)
• User assignable IPv4 addresses
• Each account can maintain up to 10 VLANs per region
• Each Compute Instance can belong to up to 3 VLANs
• Network transfer over a VLAN does not count towards your account's network transfer allowance

Additional limits and considerations

• VLANs are region-specific. Once created, a VLAN can only be attached to other Compute Instances within the same data center.

• VLANs cannot be manually renamed by the user. If a VLAN's label must be changed, a new VLAN can be created and all required Compute Instances can be attached to that new VLAN.

• VLANs can be manually deleted using the API. You can manually delete a VLAN. Alternatively, if a VLAN is no longer needed, simply detach it from all Compute Instances. After this, it will automatically be deleted within a short timeframe.

• Network Helper is required for automatic configuration. If Network Helper has been disabled, the Compute Instance will not automatically be able to communicate over the VLAN’s private network. In this case, advanced users can manually adjust their Compute Instance's internal network configuration files with the appropriate settings for their VLAN. See Manually configuring a VLAN on a Compute Instance for instructions.

• The Public Internet must always use the eth0 network interface. While VLANs themselves can function without issue on the eth0 interface, the public internet on will not be networked correctly on other interfaces.

• Rate limit on unique source MAC addresses. For security and performance, a rate limit of 300 unique source MAC addresses per 5-minute period is applied to VLAN interfaces.

Developer resources

• Linode API provides the ability to programmatically manage the full range of Akamai cloud computing products and services.
  • Creating a private network with VLANS using the Linode API: This guide shows you how to create a VLAN and attach Compute Instances to it using the Linode APIv4.
  • VLANs Endpoint Collection: Use VLANs List and the Configuration Profiles View (as part of the interfaces array) to view VLANs. Create and manage VLANs through the Configuration Profile Create and Configuration Profile Update endpoints.
• Linode CLI is a wrapper around the Linode API that lets you manage your account and resources from the command line. Learn how to use the Linode CLI to create and manage your Linode resources.