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.