# AWS Monitoring & Analytics

## <img src="https://2332860236-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fq6mjlFfyDOi3mV0lemKE%2Fuploads%2FZLz10ydl7csf7FbEBTXd%2Fimage_2025-04-11_141558418.png?alt=media&#x26;token=978386f4-e5c6-4111-bdc3-e156a6683892" alt="" data-size="line"> AWS CloudWatch&#x20;

**Amazon CloudWatch** is a monitoring and observability service provided by AWS. It allows you to collect, analyze, and visualize metrics, logs, and events from AWS resources, on-premises servers, and applications. CloudWatch helps in understanding system performance, optimizing resource utilization, and resolving operational issues faster.

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#### Key Features

**CloudWatch Alarms**

* **Purpose**: CloudWatch Alarms monitor metrics and perform automated actions based on defined thresholds.
* **Capabilities**:
  * Trigger alerts when a metric crosses a predefined threshold.
  * Automate actions like scaling EC2 instances, shutting down systems, or invoking AWS Lambda functions.
  * Notify teams using Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS).
* **Example Use Case**: Notify an administrator if CPU utilization of an EC2 instance exceeds 80% for 5 minutes.

**CloudWatch Dashboards**

* **Purpose**: CloudWatch Dashboards provide customizable visualizations for metrics across AWS services in a single view.
* **Capabilities**:
  * Create dashboards with metrics from various AWS services (EC2, RDS, Lambda, etc.).
  * Enable quick identification of trends, bottlenecks, or issues.
  * Share dashboards across teams for collaborative monitoring.
* **Example Use Case**: A dashboard displaying CPU usage, network latency, and database query performance for a web application.

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#### Central Monitoring and Visibility Using CloudWatch

* **Centralized Monitoring**: CloudWatch aggregates metrics, logs, and events from multiple AWS resources, applications, and even hybrid or on-premises environments. This centralization reduces complexity and enhances operational visibility.
* **Better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)**:
  * Proactively monitoring resources helps avoid over-provisioning and under-utilization.
  * Early detection of issues reduces downtime and cost of incidents.
* **Improved Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)**:
  * Real-time alarms and event-driven insights speed up issue identification and troubleshooting.
  * Centralized logs and metrics streamline root-cause analysis, reducing the time to resolve issues.

By integrating CloudWatch effectively into your AWS environment, organizations can achieve efficient, cost-effective, and proactive system management.

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## <img src="https://2332860236-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fq6mjlFfyDOi3mV0lemKE%2Fuploads%2FyEcUBbUvnlqxrvYBePZ4%2Fimage_2025-04-11_141637882.png?alt=media&#x26;token=4048fea5-118b-461d-9e64-34e78bc52d8e" alt="" data-size="line"> Cloud Trail

**AWS CloudTrail** is an API-based auditing service that records all actions taken on AWS resources. It provides detailed logs of every API request and response, helping organizations monitor and secure their AWS environment.

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#### Key Features:

1. **Comprehensive Logging**:
   * Logs all API calls (via AWS Console, SDKs, CLI, and third-party services).
   * Includes details like *who* performed the action, *when* it occurred, *where* it originated, *what* action was taken, and the *response* (allowed, blocked, failed, passed).
2. **Security & Compliance**:
   * Helps track unauthorized or suspicious activities.
   * Ensures compliance with auditing standards by retaining logs for analysis.
3. **Integration with Monitoring Tools**:
   * Works with CloudWatch to trigger alarms for specific events.
   * Can send events to AWS Lambda for real-time threat detection.

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#### Benefits:

* **Enhanced Security**: Detect unusual activities and analyze incidents.
* **Accountability**: Provides a clear record of actions for audits.
* **Troubleshooting**: Speeds up root-cause analysis with detailed logs.

AWS CloudTrail ensures transparency and accountability in your AWS operations.

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## <img src="https://2332860236-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fq6mjlFfyDOi3mV0lemKE%2Fuploads%2FAoqUHMdWTAYSTsoKxGtI%2Fimage_2025-04-11_141854145.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6b2e1e45-01f6-4c49-b418-232c27ecebe2" alt="" data-size="line"> Trusted Advisor

#### AWS Trusted Advisor Overview

**AWS Trusted Advisor** is a management tool that provides real-time guidance to help you optimize your AWS environment. It offers recommendations across key categories to enhance security, performance, fault tolerance, and cost-efficiency while ensuring service limits are not exceeded.

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#### Key Features:

1. **Insights and Recommendations**:
   * **Cost Optimization**: Identifies underutilized or idle resources to reduce costs.
   * **Performance**: Recommends configurations to improve application efficiency.
   * **Security**: Flags potential security risks, such as open access permissions or unencrypted data.
   * **Fault Tolerance**: Suggests actions to enhance system reliability.
   * **Service Limits**: Monitors resource usage against AWS service limits to prevent disruptions.
2. **Customizable Dashboard**:
   * Provides an overview of checks and recommendations.
   * Allows you to prioritize and take action on critical issues.
3. **Integration with AWS Services**:
   * Works with AWS Organizations to provide a consolidated view for multiple accounts.
   * Can generate automated alerts for critical findings.
