CloudWatch dashboards in AWS - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - CloudWatch dashboards

Start: Create Dashboard

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Define Widgets

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Add Widgets to Dashboard

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Save Dashboard

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Dashboard Displays Metrics

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Update or Delete Widgets

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End

This flow shows how you create a CloudWatch dashboard by defining widgets, adding them, saving, and then viewing or updating the dashboard.

Execution Sample

AWS

aws cloudwatch put-dashboard --dashboard-name MyDashboard --dashboard-body '{"widgets":[{"type":"metric","x":0,"y":0,"width":6,"height":6,"properties":{"metrics":[["AWS/EC2","CPUUtilization","InstanceId","i-1234567890abcdef0"]],"period":300,"stat":"Average","region":"us-east-1","title":"EC2 CPU"}}]}'

This command creates a CloudWatch dashboard named MyDashboard with one widget showing average CPU utilization of a specific EC2 instance.

Process Table

Step	Action	Input/Command	Result	Dashboard State
1	Create dashboard command issued	put-dashboard with name and widget JSON	Dashboard created or updated	Dashboard 'MyDashboard' created with 1 widget
2	Dashboard renders	N/A	Widget shows EC2 CPU metric graph	Dashboard displays EC2 CPU utilization graph
3	Update dashboard	Add another widget or change existing	Dashboard updated	Dashboard now has updated widgets
4	Delete widget	Remove widget from dashboard JSON	Dashboard updated	Dashboard widgets reduced accordingly
5	Exit	No further commands	Dashboard remains available	Dashboard ready for monitoring

💡 No more updates; dashboard is ready and displaying metrics

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 3	Final
Dashboard Name	None	MyDashboard	MyDashboard	MyDashboard
Widgets	Empty	[1 widget: EC2 CPU]	[Updated widgets]	[Final widgets]
Dashboard State	None	Created	Updated	Ready

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the dashboard not show metrics immediately after creation?

The dashboard shows metrics only after the widget JSON is correctly saved and CloudWatch processes it, as seen in step 2 of the execution_table.

Can I add multiple widgets in one command?

Yes, you can include multiple widgets in the dashboard-body JSON when creating or updating the dashboard, as implied in step 3.

What happens if I delete all widgets from the dashboard?

The dashboard will be empty but still exists; it will show no metrics until widgets are added again, as shown in step 4.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the dashboard state after step 1?

A Dashboard 'MyDashboard' created with 1 widget

B Dashboard updated with multiple widgets

C Dashboard is empty

D Dashboard deleted

💡 Hint

Check the 'Dashboard State' column in row for step 1 in execution_table

At which step does the dashboard show the EC2 CPU utilization graph?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Result' column in execution_table for when the widget renders

If you remove all widgets, what will the dashboard display?

A It will show the last widget's data

B It will show an error

C It will be empty with no metrics

D It will delete the dashboard

💡 Hint

Refer to step 4 in execution_table and key_moments about deleting widgets

Concept Snapshot

CloudWatch dashboards let you create visual panels of metrics.
Use 'put-dashboard' command with JSON widgets.
Widgets show metrics like CPU, memory, etc.
You can add, update, or delete widgets anytime.
Dashboards help monitor resources visually.

Full Transcript

CloudWatch dashboards are visual panels where you can see metrics from your AWS resources. You start by creating a dashboard with a name and adding widgets that define what metrics to show. Each widget can display graphs like CPU usage for an EC2 instance. After saving, the dashboard shows these metrics. You can update the dashboard by adding or removing widgets. If you remove all widgets, the dashboard remains but shows no data. This process helps you monitor your cloud resources easily.

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