# Step 3: Associate route server with a VPC
<a name="route-server-tutorial-associate"></a>

Complete the steps in this section to associate the route server with a VPC.

A route server association is the connection established between a route server and a VPC. This is a fundamental configuration step that enables the route server to work with appliances in your VPC.

When you create a route server association:
+ It links the route server to a specific VPC.
+ It enables the route server to interact with route tables within the VPC’s subnets.
+ It allows the route server to receive and propagate routes within the associated VPC.
+ It establishes the scope of where the route server can operate.

Key aspects of a route server association:
+ Each route server can be associated with one VPC. Each VPC can have up to 5 separate route server associations by default. For more information about quotas, see [Route server quotas](amazon-vpc-limits.md#vpc-limits-route-servers).
+ The association must be created before the route server can manage routes.
+ The association can be monitored to track its state (such as associating and associated).
+ The association can be removed (disassociated) if you no longer want the route server to operate in that VPC.

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#### [ AWS Management Console ]

**Associate a route server with a VPC**

1. Open the Amazon VPC console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/).

1. In the navigation pane, under **Virtual private cloud**, choose **Route servers**.

1. Select the route server you want to associate with a VPC.

1. On the **Association tab**, choose **Associate route server**.

1. In the Associate route server dialog box:
   + The **Route server ID** field is automatically populated with your selected route server
   + For **VPC ID**, choose the VPC you want to associate from the dropdown list

1. Choose **Associate route server**.

1. Wait for the association to complete. Once finished, the **State** will show as *Associated* on the **Association** tab.

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#### [ Command line ]

Use the following procedure to associate a route server with a VPC.

1. Command:

   ```
   aws ec2 associate-route-server --route-server-id rs-1 --vpc-id vpc-1
   ```

   Response:

   ```
   {
       "RouteServerAssociation": {
           "RouteServerId": "rs-1",
           "VpcId": "vpc-1",
           "State": "associating"
       }
   }
   ```

1. Wait for the association to complete.

   Command:

   ```
   aws ec2 get-route-server-associations --route-server-id rs-1
   ```

   Response:

   ```
   {
       "RouteServerAssociation": {
           "RouteServerId": "rs-1",
           "VpcId": "vpc-1",
           "State": "associated"
       }
   }
   ```

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