CloudWatch metrics in AWS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an Amazon CloudWatch metric?

A CloudWatch metric is a time-ordered set of data points that represent the performance or health of a resource or application, like CPU usage or request count.

beginner

How often does CloudWatch collect standard metrics by default?

CloudWatch collects standard metrics every 5 minutes by default for AWS resources.

intermediate

What is the difference between standard and custom CloudWatch metrics?

Standard metrics are automatically collected by AWS for many services. Custom metrics are user-defined data points sent to CloudWatch to monitor specific application or business data.

intermediate

What does a CloudWatch metric namespace do?

A namespace groups related metrics together, like 'AWS/EC2' for EC2 metrics or a custom namespace for your own metrics, helping organize and isolate data.

beginner

Why is it important to monitor CloudWatch metrics?

Monitoring metrics helps detect problems early, understand system performance, and make informed decisions to keep applications healthy and efficient.

How frequently are standard CloudWatch metrics collected by default?

A Every 10 minutes

B Every 5 minutes

C Every 1 minute

D Every 30 seconds

Standard metrics are collected every 5 minutes by default.

Which of the following is NOT a CloudWatch metric namespace?

A AWS/Database

B AWS/S3

C AWS/CustomApp

D AWS/EC2

'AWS/Database' is not a standard namespace; namespaces are specific to services or custom defined.

What type of data does a CloudWatch metric represent?

A Time-ordered numerical data points

B Text logs

C Configuration files

D User credentials

Metrics are numerical data points collected over time.

Who can create custom CloudWatch metrics?

A Only AWS automatically

B Only third-party tools

C Only AWS support team

D Users or applications sending data

Users or applications can send custom metrics to CloudWatch.

Why should you monitor CloudWatch metrics?

A To create user accounts

B To change AWS pricing

C To detect system issues early

D To delete AWS resources

Monitoring helps detect issues and maintain system health.

Explain what a CloudWatch metric is and why it is useful.

Think about how you check your car's speed or fuel level to know if it runs well.

Describe the difference between standard and custom CloudWatch metrics.

Standard is like factory settings; custom is like personal settings.