What Is It?
Cross Connect is a private LAN-based link that interconnects Virtual Data Centers (VDCs) belonging to the same IONOS Cloud contract and geographic region. It provides secure, low-latency connectivity between VDCs without routing traffic through the public Internet, enabling resource sharing, organizational separation, and disaster recovery strategies across isolated data center environments.
Quick Facts
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Private inter-VDC connectivity |
| Scope | Same contract and region only |
| Connection Model | Hub model: one Cross Connect links many VDCs; each LAN belongs to a single Cross Connect |
| IP Requirement | Uniform IP range across all connected NICs. |
| Regional Availability | gb/lhr (London), de/fra (Frankfurt) , de/txl (Berlin) |
| Management | DCD, Cloud API |
What You Can Do
Virtual Data Center Interconnectivity
Connect multiple VDCs within the same region and contract using private LAN connections. Each LAN belongs to only one Cross Connect, while a single Cross Connect can interconnect many VDCs across the region.
Enhanced Data Transfer
Achieve lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to public Internet routing. Data travels over private LANs without external hops, improving performance for inter-VDC communication.
Secure Traffic Isolation
Keep all traffic between VDCs isolated on private networks. Data never traverses the public Internet, maintaining security and compliance requirements.
Resource Sharing
Centralize shared services such as firewalls, VPN gateways, or IAM systems in one VDC and expose them to other VDCs without exposing sensitive data externally.
Organizational Separation
Separate VDCs by project, team, or cost center while maintaining controlled access between them. Enables unified billing while keeping resources logically isolated.
Disaster Recovery
Implement disaster recovery strategies by connecting production and backup VDCs in the same region for fast failover with minimal latency.
Scalability and Flexibility
Add new VDCs to existing Cross Connect configurations as your infrastructure grows. Scale connections to match organizational expansion.
Upgrade Support
Upgrade to the latest version to enable connection of all VDCs in the region. Upgrade process typically requires less than 5 minutes of downtime.
Best For
| Scenario | Why It Fits |
|---|---|
| Multi-VDC architectures | Private connectivity without public Internet routing |
| Centralized security services | Share firewalls, VPN gateways, or IAM across VDCs |
| Project-based isolation | Separate VDCs by project while enabling controlled inter-project communication |
| Cost center organization | Logical separation with unified billing visibility |
| Disaster recovery | Fast failover between production and backup VDCs in same region |
| Compliance requirements | Secure, isolated traffic for regulated data |
Key Considerations
Billing & Costs
- Main billing: Free of charge (no billing per connection)
- No data transfer fees: Traffic over private LANs not charged separately
- Additional costs: None documented
Limitations
- All NICs in the connection must belong to the same IP range (manual verification required)
- An IP address can be used by only one instance
- Connections limited to VDCs in only three regions: gb/lhr (London) ,de/fra (Frankfurt) and de/txl (Berlin)
- No cross-region connectivity (VDCs must be in the same region)
- Each LAN can belong to only one Cross Connect at a time (a single Cross Connect can still link many VDCs in the region)
- Same contract requirement (cannot connect VDCs across different contracts)
Management Options
- Data Center Designer (DCD)
- Cloud API
- User privileges for create, edit, and share operations