[SOLVED] What is the difference between a "REST API" of type "private" and a "REST API Private"

What is the difference between a "REST API" of type "private" and a "REST API Private"

When creating an API endpoint on the AWS console, 2 options exist:

Option A: A "REST API" with "API endpoint type" of "Regional" or "Edge-optimized" or "private". My question is about the last option ("private").

Option B: A "REST API Private"

Here is a screenshot of the options:

What is the difference between Option A and B? It appears both are only accessible within the AWS VPC. Am I missing something?

Solution

You are correct, regular REST API's can be accessed from the public endpoint stage URL or a custom domain name. A private REST API is deployed within a VPC using an interface VPC endpoint.

In both cases, regardless of the endpoint being public or private, there are still measures to control and manage access to the API. These may include resource policies, IAM permissions, and others.