# Managing router network interfaces in MediaConnect
Managing network interfaces

Router network interfaces control how the router communicates with the outside world. Router I/Os that connect to a public or VPC endpoints need a network interface, which determines how the router I/O connects to other resources and what security measures protect the connection. Note that router connections to MediaLive channels and MediaConnect flows are automatically managed and do not require a network interface. 

You can work with two types of router network interface:
+ **Public network interfaces **- These allow communication over the public internet. They're ideal for connecting to external sources or destinations like cameras, encoders, and content delivery platforms. When using public interfaces, you must specify allowed IP addresses (CIDRs) for security purposes.
+ **VPC network interfaces** - These connect to resources within your Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), and provide private networking within AWS. VPC interfaces are best suited for connecting your router to other AWS services or resources within your VPC.

You can use the same router network interface for multiple inputs and outputs on your router. This allows you to simplify your network configuration and reduce the number of interfaces you need to maintain. 

This chapter shows you everything you need to know about working with router network interfaces. 

**Topics**
+ [

# Creating a router network interface in MediaConnect
](creating-router-network-interfaces.md)
+ [

# Viewing router network interfaces in MediaConnect
](viewing-router-network-interfaces.md)
+ [

# Updating a router network interface in MediaConnect
](editing-router-network-interface.md)
+ [

# Deleting a router network interface in MediaConnect
](deleting-router-network-interface.md)

# Creating a router network interface in MediaConnect
Creating network interfaces

Router network interfaces determine how your router communicates with other network resources and the internet. You can configure these interfaces to connect either through the public internet or through your Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), depending on your networking requirements. The interface type you choose affects the security settings and accessibility of your router connections.

You can create up to five router network interfaces in each AWS Region. Keep in mind that network interfaces are Regional resources, and you can only use them with router I/Os that are in the same Region.

## Prerequisites
Prerequisites
+ You have an AWS account.
+ You know the AWS Region where you want to create the router network interface.

For VPC network interfaces:
+ You have [set up MediaConnect as a trusted service ](mediaconnect/latest/ug/security-iam-trusted-entity.html) in IAM. 
+ You have created a VPC subnet and associated security groups in Amazon VPC. The subnet you choose determines the availability zone and network range for your network interface, while the security groups act as a virtual firewall.

  For more information about VPCs, see the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/). For information about configuring security groups to work with your VPC interface, see [ Security group considerations](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/ug/vpc-interface-security-groups.html).

## Procedure
Procedure

Follow these steps to create a router network interface.b<a name="create-primary-network-interface-procedure"></a>

**To create a router network interface**

1. Open the MediaConnect console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Router network interfaces**.

1. Choose **Create router network interface**.

1. Under **Router network interface details**, provide the following information:

   1. **Name** - Enter a name that helps you identify the purpose of this network interface.
**Tip**  
Including details like location or use case (for example, **Studio-A-Public** or **NYC-VPC**) makes it easier to manage multiple network interfaces.

   1. **Region** - Specify where you want to create this router network interface. Create your network interface in a Region where you plan to set up routing - you'll need this interface when creating router inputs and outputs.

   1. **Interface type** - Choose one of the following options:
      + For public internet connectivity:
        + Choose **Public interface**.
        + Decide whether you want to block all inbound connections.
        + In **Allowed CIDR blocks**, specify up to 10 IP address ranges (for example, `203.0.113.0/24`). These blocks determine which IP addresses can connect to your router network interface.
      + For VPC connectivity:
        + Choose **VPC interface**.
        + Select a subnet from your VPC. For best performance, choose a subnet in the same Availability Zone as your other AWS resources.
        + Select up to five security groups to control access. These act as virtual firewalls for your router network interface.

1. Choose **Create router network interface**.

## Next steps
Next steps

After creating a network interface, you can:
+ [Review your network interfaces](viewing-router-network-interfaces.md) to ensure your network setup is complete
+ [Update your router network interface settings if needed](editing-router-network-interface.md)
+ [Delete unused router network interfaces](deleting-router-network-interface.md)

## Additional resources


To create network interfaces programmatically, see the following page in the *MediaConnect API Reference*:
+ [CreateRouterNetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_CreateRouterNetworkInterface.html)

This includes information about how to use the `CreateRouterNetworkInterface` operation and its parameters in one of the language-specific AWS SDKs. 

# Viewing router network interfaces in MediaConnect
Viewing network interfaces

You can view your router network interfaces in the MediaConnect console. For each interface, you can see the configuration details, status, and associated resources.

## Prerequisites
Prerequisites

The following procedure assumes you have at least one router network interface in your AWS account.

## Procedure
Procedure

Follow these steps to view the network interfaces that are available in your AWS account.<a name="view-router-network-interfaces-procedure"></a>

**To view your router network interfaces**

1. Open the MediaConnect console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Router network interfaces**.

1. Review the list of your router network interfaces.

1. Select a router network interface and choose **View resource**.

1. On the details page, use the following tabs to find specific information:  
**Router network interface details tabs**    
<a name="router-network-interface-details-tabs-table"></a>[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/ug/viewing-router-network-interfaces.html)

## Next steps
Next steps

After reviewing your network interfaces, you can:
+ [Update your router network interface settings if needed](editing-router-network-interface.md)
+ [Create additional router network interfaces](creating-router-network-interfaces.md#create-router-network-interfaces-procedure)
+ [Delete unused router network interfaces](deleting-router-network-interface.md)

## Additional resources


To view network interfaces programmatically, see the following pages in the *MediaConnect API Reference*: 
+ [ListRouterNetworkInterfaces](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_ListRouterNetworkInterfaces.html)
+ [GetRouterNetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_GetRouterNetworkInterface.html)
+ [BatchGetRouterNetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_BatchGetRouterNetworkInterface.html)

This includes information about how to use these operations and parameters in one of the language-specific AWS SDKs. 

# Updating a router network interface in MediaConnect
Updating network interfaces

After creating a router network interface in MediaConnect, you can modify its configuration to adapt to changing network requirements. This enables you to update the properties of your public and VPC interfaces, ensuring that your network setup remains flexible and up-to-date.

## Prerequisites
Prerequisites
+ The following procedure assumes that you’ve already created a router network interface.
+ For VPC interfaces only: If you plan to change your VPC or security group settings, make sure that the VPC interface you're updating isn't currently associated with any router inputs or outputs. 

## Procedure
Procedure<a name="edit-router-network-interface-procedure"></a>

**To update a router network interface**

1. Open the MediaConnect console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Router network interfaces**.

1. Select the router network interface that you want to update.

1. Choose **Edit**.

1. Update any of the following settings: 
   + For public interfaces: You can edit the interface name, the inbound connections setting, and the allowed CIDR blocks.
   + For VPC interfaces: You can edit the subnet and the security groups selections.

1. Choose **Save changes**.

1. Check the outcome:

   1. If successful: The router network interface will be updated with your changes.

   1. If unsuccessful: You'll see an error message explaining what went wrong.

## Next steps
Next steps

After you update a network interface, you can [review the updated network interface](viewing-router-network-interfaces.md) to verify that your updates were successful.

## Additional resources


To update a router network interface programmatically, see the following page in the *MediaConnect API Reference*:
+ [UpdateRouterNetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_UpdateRouterNetworkInterface.html)

This includes information about how to use this operation and parameters in one of the language-specific AWS SDKs. 

# Deleting a router network interface in MediaConnect
Deleting network interfaces

You can delete router network interfaces that are no longer needed for your workflow. This helps you to maintain a clean network configuration and reduce unused resources.

**Important**  
After you delete a network interface, you can't recover it. You'll need to create a new one if you need similar functionality later.

## Prerequisites
Prerequisites

Before you begin:
+ Make sure no router I/Os are currently using the router network interface you want to delete.
+ Consider documenting the router network interface's configuration in case you need to recreate it later.

## Procedure
Procedure<a name="delete-router-network-interface-procedure"></a>

**To delete a router network interface**

1. Open the MediaConnect console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Router network interfaces**.

1. Choose the name of the router network interface that you want to delete.

1. Choose **Delete**.

1. To confirm, choose **Delete router network interface**.

**Note**  
The deleted interface might still appear in your list for about an hour, but it won't be functional.

## Next steps
Next steps

After deleting a network interface, you can:
+ [Create a new network interface](creating-router-network-interfaces.md) with different settings if needed.
+ [Review your remaining network interfaces](viewing-router-network-interfaces.md) to ensure your network setup is complete.

## Additional resources


To delete network interfacesprogrammatically, see the following page in the *MediaConnect API Reference*:
+ [DeleteRouterNetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/api/API_DeleteRouterNetworkInterface.html)

This includes information about how to use the `DeleteRouterNetworkInterface` operation and its parameters in one of the language-specific AWS SDKs.