CloudWatch dashboards in AWS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an AWS CloudWatch dashboard?

An AWS CloudWatch dashboard is a customizable home page in the AWS Management Console that displays graphs and metrics from your AWS resources in one place. It helps you monitor your cloud environment visually.

beginner

How do you add a widget to a CloudWatch dashboard?

You add a widget by selecting the dashboard, clicking 'Add widget', choosing the widget type (like line graph or number), and then selecting the metrics or logs you want to display.

intermediate

What types of widgets can you use in a CloudWatch dashboard?

You can use line graphs, stacked area graphs, number displays, text widgets, and query results widgets to show metrics, logs, or custom text.

intermediate

Why is it useful to share CloudWatch dashboards?

Sharing dashboards allows teams to view the same monitoring data, improving collaboration and faster problem solving by having a common view of system health.

advanced

How can you automate the creation of CloudWatch dashboards?

You can automate dashboard creation using AWS CloudFormation templates or AWS CLI commands that define the dashboard JSON configuration, making it easy to deploy consistent dashboards.

What is the main purpose of a CloudWatch dashboard?

A To deploy AWS Lambda functions

B To store backups of AWS data

C To manage AWS user permissions

D To visually monitor AWS resources in one place

CloudWatch dashboards are designed to visually monitor AWS resources by displaying metrics and logs in one place.

Which widget type is NOT available in CloudWatch dashboards?

A Line graph

B Pie chart

C Number display

D Text widget

CloudWatch dashboards do not support pie chart widgets; common widgets include line graphs, number displays, and text widgets.

How can you share a CloudWatch dashboard with your team?

A By granting AWS console access and sharing the dashboard URL

B By printing the dashboard

C By emailing the dashboard JSON file

D By exporting it as a PDF

You share dashboards by giving team members AWS console access and sharing the dashboard URL so they can view it live.

What AWS tool can automate CloudWatch dashboard creation?

A AWS IAM

B AWS S3

C AWS CloudFormation

D AWS EC2

AWS CloudFormation can automate dashboard creation by defining the dashboard in a template.

Which of these is a benefit of using CloudWatch dashboards?

A Improved visual monitoring of resources

B Faster data backup

C Automatic code deployment

D User authentication

CloudWatch dashboards improve visual monitoring by showing resource metrics and logs in one place.

Explain what an AWS CloudWatch dashboard is and why it is useful.

Think about how you would watch your car's dashboard to see important info at a glance.

Describe how you would create and share a CloudWatch dashboard with your team.

Imagine setting up a shared dashboard for your friends to watch a game score together.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of an AWS CloudWatch dashboard?

easy

A. To deploy new cloud servers automatically

B. To store backups of cloud data

C. To visually display cloud resource metrics in one place

D. To manage user permissions for AWS services

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand CloudWatch dashboard function

   CloudWatch dashboards collect and show metrics visually for easy monitoring.

2. Step 2: Compare options with dashboard purpose

   Only To visually display cloud resource metrics in one place describes visual display of metrics; others describe unrelated tasks.

3. Final Answer:

   To visually display cloud resource metrics in one place -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = Visual metrics display [OK]

Hint: Dashboards show metrics visually, not manage or store data [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing dashboards with backup storage
• Thinking dashboards manage permissions
• Assuming dashboards deploy servers

2. Which JSON element is required to add a widget to a CloudWatch dashboard?

easy

A. "widgets" array containing widget objects

B. "servers" array listing EC2 instances

C. "permissions" object defining access rights

D. "backups" array for snapshot data

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify JSON structure for dashboards

   CloudWatch dashboards use a "widgets" array to hold widget definitions.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated JSON elements

   Options A, B, and D relate to servers, permissions, or backups, not widgets.

3. Final Answer:

   "widgets" array containing widget objects -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Widgets array = dashboard widgets [OK]

Hint: Widgets array holds dashboard widgets in JSON [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'servers' instead of 'widgets'
• Confusing permissions with widget data
• Including backups in dashboard JSON

3. Given this widget JSON snippet for a CloudWatch dashboard:

{"type": "metric", "x": 0, "y": 0, "width": 6, "height": 6, "properties": {"metrics": [["AWS/EC2", "CPUUtilization", "InstanceId", "i-1234567890abcdef0"]], "period": 300, "stat": "Average"}}

What metric will this widget display?

medium

A. Total network traffic of all EC2 instances

B. Average CPU utilization of the specified EC2 instance

C. Disk read operations for the specified EC2 instance

D. Memory usage of the specified EC2 instance

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the metric details in JSON

   The metric is "CPUUtilization" for AWS/EC2 with a specific InstanceId, using average statistic.

2. Step 2: Match metric to options

   Average CPU utilization of the specified EC2 instance matches CPU utilization average; others mention different metrics not in JSON.

3. Final Answer:

   Average CPU utilization of the specified EC2 instance -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Metric name = CPUUtilization [OK]

Hint: Look for metric name and stat in properties.metrics [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing CPU with network or disk metrics
• Ignoring the InstanceId filter
• Assuming memory metric without it specified

4. You uploaded a CloudWatch dashboard JSON but the widgets do not appear. Which is the most likely error?

medium

A. The JSON is missing the required "widgets" array

B. The EC2 instances are stopped

C. The AWS region is incorrect in the AWS CLI configuration

D. The IAM user lacks S3 bucket permissions

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify JSON structure requirement

   CloudWatch dashboards require a "widgets" array; missing it means no widgets show.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options for widget display

   Stopped EC2 or region mismatch may affect metrics but not widget display; S3 permissions unrelated.

3. Final Answer:

   The JSON is missing the required "widgets" array -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing widgets array = no widgets shown [OK]

Hint: Always check for 'widgets' array in dashboard JSON [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming stopped instances for widget display
• Confusing region config with dashboard JSON
• Assuming S3 permissions affect dashboards

5. You want a CloudWatch dashboard to show CPU utilization for multiple EC2 instances side by side. Which JSON widget configuration approach is best?

hard

A. Add a text widget listing instance IDs

B. Create multiple dashboards, one per instance

C. Use a single metric widget without specifying InstanceId

D. Create one widget with multiple metrics, each metric for one instance

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard widget capabilities

   A single widget can show multiple metrics side by side by listing each instance's CPU metric.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options for efficiency and clarity

   Multiple dashboards (B) is inefficient; single metric without InstanceId (C) aggregates all instances; text widget (D) does not show metrics.

3. Final Answer:

   Create one widget with multiple metrics, each metric for one instance -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple metrics in one widget = side-by-side display [OK]

Hint: Use multiple metrics in one widget for side-by-side comparison [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Creating separate dashboards wastes effort
• Omitting InstanceId shows combined data, not per instance
• Using text widgets instead of metric widgets