AWS Elemental MediaConnect: Flows vs Router vs Gateway — A Service Comparison Guide

5 minute read | Content level: Foundational

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This guide helps you understand and choose between the key components of AWS Elemental MediaConnect: Flows, Router (including Global Routing), and Gateway.

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Component Definitions

AWS Elemental MediaConnect Flows are the foundational transport building block. A flow is a point-to-point transport path between a source and one or more destinations. Flows enable reliable, secure delivery of live video between applications, services, or AWS accounts.

AWS Elemental MediaConnect Router is a dynamic, real-time switching matrix that transforms static video transport into flexible, many-to-many routing. It enables any input to be connected to any output in any configuration — instantly — including across AWS Regions (via Global Routing scope).

AWS Elemental MediaConnect Gateway is a cloud-connected software application that deploys on-premises resources for transporting live video between your data center and the AWS Cloud. It bridges multicast infrastructure with cloud-based unicast transport.

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Key Differences

Aspect	Flows	Router	Gateway
Primary Purpose	Point-to-point transport	Dynamic many-to-many switching	On-premises ↔ cloud bridging
Topology	1 source → multiple outputs (fan-out)	Many inputs ↔ many outputs (matrix)	Multicast ↔ unicast (bridge)
Switching	Static (manual source/output changes)	Real-time (instant route takes)	Static (bridge configuration)
Location	Cloud-based (single Region)	Cloud-based (single or cross-Region)	Hybrid (on-prem hardware + cloud)
Cross-Region	Requires separate flows per Region	Built-in via Global Routing scope	N/A (local data center to cloud)
Pricing Model	Per output-hour + data transfer	Per active I/O-hour (tiered) + data transfer	Per bridge-hour + data transfer

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Detailed Comparison

Flows — The Foundation

Flows are the original MediaConnect building block. Each flow has a source and one or more outputs.

Feature	Details
Flow types	Transport Stream, NDI, CDI (JPEG XS)
Max outputs	50 per flow
Content sharing	Entitlements (cross-account)
Protocols	SRT, RIST, Zixi, RTP, RTP-FEC, Fujitsu QoS
Failover	Source failover within a flow
Monitoring	Source thumbnails, CloudWatch metrics
Integration	Can feed Router inputs or receive Router outputs

Best for: Dedicated contribution/distribution paths, cross-account sharing via entitlements, CDI/NDI workflows, and as building blocks within larger architectures.

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Router — Dynamic Switching

The Router creates a cloud-native routing matrix where any feed can be instantly connected to any destination.

Feature	Details
Input types	Standard, Failover (manual/automatic), Merge, Flow input, MediaLive channel input
Output types	Standard, Flow output, MediaLive output
Routing scope	Regional (same Region) or Global (cross-Region)
Protocols	SRT (Caller/Listener), RIST, RTP
Switching	Instant "takes" — assign/unassign routes in real time
Fanout	Up to 10 outputs per input
Control interfaces	Router Control Panel (live switching), Router Matrix (bulk changes)
Transport	Adaptive Multipath Routing (optimized for live video, fixed end-to-end latency)
Maintenance	Automated restarts every 60–66 days (configurable window)

Best for: Live event production, cloud playout, primary distribution, FAST channel management, and any workflow requiring real-time source switching across regions.

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Global Routing — Cross-Region Router Capability

Global Routing is not a separate service — it's a routing scope setting on Router I/Os.

Scope	Behavior
Regional (default)	Router I/Os can only be assigned to other I/Os in the same AWS Region
Global	Router I/Os can be assigned to I/Os in any AWS Region (additional data transfer costs apply)

Key benefit: Manage cross-region routing from a single console. For example, create inputs in Europe (Dublin) and route them to outputs in Europe (London) — all managed from US West (Oregon).

Best for: Multi-region distribution, global content routing, centralized operations spanning multiple AWS Regions.

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Gateway — On-Premises Bridge

Gateway deploys on your local hardware and bridges your multicast infrastructure with MediaConnect in the cloud.

Component	Role
Gateways	Logical grouping of instances and bridges with IP configuration
Networks	IP information for communication between data centers and AWS (max 2 per gateway)
Instances	Compute running on-premises, managed by MediaConnect
Bridges	Connections between on-prem instances and AWS Cloud (ingress or egress)

Concept	Direction
Ingress bridge	On-premises → AWS Cloud (multicast source becomes unicast to a cloud flow)
Egress bridge	AWS Cloud → On-premises (cloud flow output delivered as multicast locally)

Best for: Bridging traditional multicast infrastructure (NOC, broadcast facilities) with cloud-based MediaConnect workflows without re-architecting on-premises systems.

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When to Use Which Component

Choose Flows When:

• You need dedicated, always-on transport paths
• You're sharing content across AWS accounts (entitlements)
• You require CDI (uncompressed/JPEG XS) or NDI workflows
• You need more than 10 outputs from a single source (up to 50)
• You want simple point-to-point transport without switching requirements

Choose Router When:

• You need real-time source switching (like a broadcast router)
• You want centralized control of routing across multiple Regions
• You require failover inputs with automatic switching
• You're building cloud playout or FAST channel workflows
• You need to route between MediaConnect flows and MediaLive channels dynamically

Choose Gateway When:

• You have on-premises multicast infrastructure
• You need to contribute local feeds to the AWS Cloud
• You want to distribute cloud content back to your data center
• You're implementing hybrid broadcast architectures

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Integration Scenarios

Common Workflow Examples

1. Cloud-Native Dynamic Distribution

Sources → Router (Global) → Multiple Regional Outputs → Downstream Services

Use the Router with Global scope to distribute live feeds across Regions with instant switching capability.

2. Dedicated Contribution + Dynamic Distribution

Source → Flow (contribution) → Router Input → Router Outputs → Destinations

Use a Flow for reliable ingest, then connect it to the Router for dynamic downstream switching.

3. On-Premises to Cloud with Switching

Multicast Source → Gateway (Ingress Bridge) → Flow → Router Input → Router Outputs

Gateway bridges your on-prem multicast to a cloud Flow, which feeds the Router for dynamic distribution.

4. Global Multi-Region Architecture

Studio (US) → Router Input (us-east-1, Global scope) → Router Outputs (eu-west-1, ap-southeast-1)

A single input with Global routing scope delivers to outputs in any Region without intermediate flows.

5. Hybrid Broadcast with Local Return

On-Prem → Gateway (Ingress) → Flow → Processing → Flow → Gateway (Egress) → On-Prem

Full round-trip: contribute from on-prem, process in cloud, return to a different on-prem location.

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Cost Considerations

Component	Pricing Basis
Flows	Per output-hour + data transfer (GB)
Router	Per active I/O-hour (tiered by bitrate) + cross-Region data transfer + public egress
Gateway	Per bridge-hour + data transfer

Note: Global Routing scope on Router I/Os incurs additional hourly charges when cross-Region data transfer is active.

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Protocol Comparison

Protocol	Flows	Router	Gateway
SRT (Listener/Caller)	✅	✅	❌
RIST	✅	✅	❌
RTP / RTP-FEC	✅	✅	❌
Zixi	✅	❌	❌
Fujitsu QoS	✅	❌	❌
CDI (JPEG XS)	✅	❌	❌
NDI	✅	❌	❌
Multicast (UDP)	❌	❌	✅

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Decision Matrix

Requirement	Recommended Component
Simple A→B transport	Flow
Cross-account sharing	Flow (entitlements)
Uncompressed/lightly compressed (CDI)	Flow (CDI type)
IP production (NDI)	Flow (NDI type)
Real-time source switching	Router
Cross-region routing from single console	Router (Global scope)
FAST channel management	Router
Cloud playout switching	Router
MediaLive ↔ MediaConnect integration	Router
On-premises multicast to cloud	Gateway
Cloud content to on-premises	Gateway
Hybrid multicast architecture	Gateway

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Conclusion

MediaConnect offers three distinct components that serve different architectural needs:

• Flows are the foundational transport layer — use them for dedicated paths, entitlements, and specialized protocols (CDI, NDI, Zixi)
• Router adds dynamic switching on top — use it when you need real-time control, cross-region routing, or broadcast-style operations
• Gateway bridges on-premises and cloud — use it when multicast infrastructure needs cloud connectivity

These components work together. A typical enterprise architecture might use Gateway for on-premises ingest, Flows for dedicated high-value contribution paths, and Router for dynamic distribution and switching across regions.

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Reference URLs

AWS Elemental MediaConnect:

• Service Overview: https://aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/
• Documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/
• Flows: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/ug/flows.html
• Router: https://aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/features/router/
• Router User Guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/ug/using-mediaconnect-router.html
• Gateway: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/latest/ug/gateway.html
• Pricing: https://aws.amazon.com/mediaconnect/pricing/

Additional Resources:

• AWS Media Services: https://aws.amazon.com/media-services/
• AWS Media Blog: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/media/

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This guide serves as a decision-making tool for implementing the right combination of AWS Elemental MediaConnect components for your specific live video workflow needs.