CloudWatch Metrics
CloudWatch Metrics are data points that provide insights into the performance and utilization of AWS resources and applications.
Description
Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring service provided by AWS that collects and tracks metrics, collects log files, and sets alarms. CloudWatch Metrics serve as the foundation for monitoring the health and performance of AWS resources like EC2 instances, RDS databases, and Lambda functions. Each metric consists of a time-stamped value associated with a specific namespace, dimension, and statistic. For example, CPU utilization of an EC2 instance is a metric that indicates the percentage of CPU capacity being used. These metrics allow users to create alarms and dashboards to visualize the performance data, enabling proactive management of applications and resources. By leveraging CloudWatch Metrics, organizations can understand usage patterns, troubleshoot issues, and optimize costs by scaling resources up or down based on actual performance data. The integration with other AWS services enhances its capability, making it a critical component for effective cloud resource management.
Examples
- CPU Utilization: Monitors the percentage of CPU capacity in use for an Amazon EC2 instance.
- Disk Read Operations: Tracks the number of read operations on an Amazon EBS volume over time.
Additional Information
- CloudWatch Metrics can be set to trigger alarms based on thresholds, sending notifications through Amazon SNS.
- Custom metrics can be created using the CloudWatch API, allowing businesses to monitor application-specific performance indicators.