This topic describes how to create a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). You can define your VPCs by specifying the IP address ranges and configuring route tables and network gateways. You can also use a VPC to manage your Alibaba Cloud resources, such as Elastic Compute Service (ECS), Relational Database Service (RDS), and Server Load Balancer (SLB).

Procedure

  1. Log on to the VPC console.
  2. Select the region in which you want to create a VPC.
    Note The VPC must be in the same region as the cloud resources that you want to deploy.
  3. On the VPCs page, click Create VPC.
  4. On the Create VPC page, configure the VPC and the VSwitch according to the following information, and then click OK.
    Configuration Description
    VPC
    Region The region in which the VPC is created.
    Name Enter a name for the VPC.

    The name must be 2 to 128 characters in length and can contain letters, numbers, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). It must start with a letter.

    IPv4 CIDR Block Select the primary IPv4 CIDR block for the VPC. Options:
    • Default CIDR Block: Select 192.168.0.0/16, 172.16.0.0/12, or 10.0.0.0/8.
    • Custom CIDR Block: Select 192.168.0.0/16, 172.16.0.0/12, 10.0.0.0/8, or their subnets as the primary IPv4 CIDR block of the VPC. The CIDR block mask must be 8 to 24 bits in length. In this example, select 192.168.0.0/16. If you want to use a public CIDR block as the CIDR block of the VPC, open a ticket.
    Notice After a VPC is created, you cannot change its primary IPv4 CIDR block. However, you can add a secondary IPv4 CIDR block to the VPC. For more information, see Add a secondary IPv4 CIDR block.
    Description Enter a description for the VPC.

    The description must be 2 to 256 characters in length and cannot start with http:// or https://.

    VSwitch
    Name Enter a name for the VSwitch.

    The name must be 2 to 128 characters in length and can contain letters, numbers, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). It must start with a letter.

    Zone Select the zone to which the VSwitch belongs. In a VPC, VSwitches in different zones can communicate with each other through the internal network.
    Zone Resource Displays the cloud instances that can be created in the selected zone.

    The cloud instances that can be created vary according to the zone and the time. The purchase page displays whether the cloud instances are available for purchase. Currently, the purchase page only displays ECS, RDS, and SLB instances.

    IPv4 CIDR Block Enter the IPv4 CIDR block of the VSwitch. Note the following when you specify the IPv4 CIDR block:
    • The CIDR block of a VSwitch must be a subset of the CIDR block of the VPC.

      For example, if the CIDR block of the VPC is 192.168.0.0/16, the CIDR block of the VSwitch in the VPC can be any CIDR block between 192.168.0.0/17 and 192.168.0.0/29.

    • The first IP address and the last three IP addresses in the VSwitch CIDR block are reserved.

      For example, if the VSwitch CIDR block is 192.168.1.0/24, the IP addresses 192.168.1.0, 192.168.1.253, 192.168.1.254, and 192.168.1.255 are reserved.

    • If the VSwitch needs to communicate with VSwitches in other VPCs or with on-premises data centers, make sure that the CIDR blocks involved do not conflict with each other.
    Notice After the VSwitch is created, you cannot modify its CIDR block.
    Number of Available Private IPs Displays the number of available IP addresses.
    Description Enter a description for the VSwitch.

    The description must be 2 to 256 characters in length and cannot start with http:// or https://.