# AWS NAT Gateway optimization | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-nat-gateway 5 documented AWS NAT Gateway cost inefficiencies, each with how to detect it and how to fix it. [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) 5 documented AWS NAT Gateway cost inefficiencies, each with how to detect it and how to fix it. ## 5 inefficiencies [All services](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub#browse-by-service) - AWS NAT Gateway CER-0325 ### [Excessive NAT Gateway Data Processing Charges from Unoptimized Traffic Routing](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/excessive-nat-gateway-data-processing-charges-from-unoptimized-traffic-routing) NAT Gateway charges a per-gigabyte data processing fee on all traffic that passes through it - in either direction - regardless of whether the destination is the public internet or another AWS service in the same region. This per-GB charge... Networking - AWS NAT Gateway CER-0128 ### [Suboptimal Cross-AZ Routing to NAT Gateway](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-cross-az-routing-to-nat-gateway) NAT Gateways are designed to serve private subnets within the same Availability Zone. When subnets in one AZ are configured to route traffic through a NAT Gateway in a different AZ, the traffic crosses AZ boundaries and incurs inter-AZ... Networking - AWS NAT Gateway CER-0106 ### [Suboptimal Routing Through NAT Gateway Instead of VPC Endpoint](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-routing-through-nat-gateway-instead-of-vpc-endpoint) Workloads in private subnets often access AWS services like S3 or DynamoDB. If this traffic is routed through a NAT Gateway, it incurs both hourly and data processing charges. However, AWS offers VPC Gateway Endpoints (for S3/DynamoDB) and... Networking - AWS NAT Gateway CER-0075 ### [Managed NAT Gateway with Excessive Data Transfer](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/managed-nat-gateway-with-excessive-data-transfer) NAT Gateways are convenient for enabling outbound access from private subnets, but in data-intensive environments, they can quietly become a major cost driver. When large volumes of traffic flow through the gateway - particularly during... Networking - AWS NAT Gateway CER-0005 ### [Inactive NAT Gateway](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inactive-nat-gateway) NAT Gateways are frequently left running after environments are re-architected, workloads are shut down, or connectivity patterns change. In many cases, they continue to incur hourly charges despite no active traffic flowing through them.... Networking ## More AWS services - [AWS EC2 23](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-ec2) - [AWS RDS 19](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-rds) - [AWS S3 15](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-s3) - [AWS Lambda 12](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-lambda) - [AWS EBS 10](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-ebs) - [AWS CloudWatch 8](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-cloudwatch) - [AWS EKS 8](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-eks) - [AWS ElastiCache 8](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-elasticache) - [AWS DynamoDB 7](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-dynamodb) - [AWS Bedrock 6](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-bedrock) --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.