CloudWatch metrics in AWS - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to specify the namespace when creating a CloudWatch metric.

AWS

metric = cloudwatch.Metric(namespace=[1], metric_name="PageViews")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"MyApp/Metrics"

B"AWS/EC2"

C"EC2"

D"CloudWatch"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using AWS default namespaces for custom metrics

Omitting quotes around the namespace string

The namespace groups metrics logically. Custom metrics often use a custom namespace like "MyApp/Metrics".

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to create a CloudWatch alarm that triggers when CPU utilization exceeds 80%.

AWS

alarm = cloudwatch.Alarm(threshold=[1], comparison_operator="GreaterThanThreshold")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A50

B100

C20

D80

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Setting threshold too low or too high

Confusing comparison operators

The alarm triggers when CPU utilization is greater than 80%, so the threshold must be 80.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to correctly publish a custom metric value to CloudWatch.

AWS

cloudwatch.put_metric_data(Namespace="MyApp", MetricData=[[1]])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{"MetricName": "Errors", "Values": [5]}

B{"Name": "Errors", "Value": 5}

C{"MetricName": "Errors", "Value": 5}

D{"Metric": "Errors", "Value": 5}

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect key names like 'Name' or 'Metric'

Using 'Values' instead of 'Value'

The MetricData list requires dictionaries with keys MetricName and Value. Option C is correct.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a CloudWatch metric filter that matches error logs and extracts the error code.

AWS

filter = cloudwatch.MetricFilter(log_group_name=[1], filter_pattern=[2])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"/aws/lambda/my-function"

B"ERROR"

C"[timestamp, level=ERROR, message, errorCode]"

D"[timestamp, level=INFO, message]"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect filter pattern syntax

Using wrong log group names

The log group name must be a valid string, and the filter pattern must match error logs and extract the errorCode field.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a CloudWatch dashboard widget showing average CPU utilization for an EC2 instance.

AWS

widget = cloudwatch.DashboardWidget(type=[1], properties={"metrics": [[[2], "CPUUtilization", "InstanceId", [3]]], "period": 300, "stat": "Average"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"metric"

B"AWS/EC2"

C"i-1234567890abcdef0"

D"log"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'log' instead of 'metric' for widget type

Using incorrect namespace or instance ID format

The widget type for metrics is "metric". The namespace for EC2 is "AWS/EC2". The instance ID must be a string identifying the EC2 instance.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of AWS CloudWatch metrics?

easy

A. To create virtual machines

B. To store files and documents securely

C. To monitor and track the performance of cloud resources

D. To manage user permissions

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand CloudWatch metrics role

   CloudWatch metrics collect data points about cloud resources like CPU usage or network traffic.

2. Step 2: Identify the main use

   This data helps monitor and keep cloud resources healthy and efficient.

3. Final Answer:

   To monitor and track the performance of cloud resources -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   CloudWatch metrics = Monitor resources [OK]

Hint: CloudWatch metrics = numbers about resource health [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing metrics with storage services
• Thinking metrics create resources
• Mixing metrics with user management

2. Which of the following is the correct way to specify a metric namespace in AWS CloudWatch?

easy

A. Namespace: AWS/EC2

B. Namespace = AWS-EC2

C. Namespace -> AWS.EC2

D. Namespace is AWS_EC2

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall CloudWatch namespace format

   Namespaces use a string format with a slash, like AWS/EC2, to group metrics.

2. Step 2: Check each option format

   Only 'Namespace: AWS/EC2' uses the correct slash format without invalid characters.

3. Final Answer:

   Namespace: AWS/EC2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Namespace uses slash (/) format [OK]

Hint: Namespace uses slash (/) format, not dash or underscore [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dash or underscore instead of slash
• Using equal sign instead of colon
• Using arrow notation incorrectly

3. Given the following CloudWatch metric data points for CPU utilization: [10, 20, 30, 40, 50], what is the average CPU utilization reported?

medium

A. 10

B. 25

C. 50

D. 30

Solution

1. Step 1: Sum all CPU utilization values

   10 + 20 + 30 + 40 + 50 = 150

2. Step 2: Calculate average by dividing sum by count

   150 / 5 = 30

3. Final Answer:

   30 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Average = Sum / Count = 30 [OK]

Hint: Average = add all values, divide by number of values [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding incorrectly
• Dividing by wrong count
• Picking max or min instead of average

4. You set a CloudWatch alarm to trigger when CPU utilization exceeds 70%, but it never triggers even when CPU is 80%. What is a likely cause?

medium

A. The metric period is too long, smoothing out spikes

B. The alarm threshold is set incorrectly below 70%

C. The alarm action is missing

D. The CPU utilization metric is disabled

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand alarm threshold and metric period

   The alarm triggers if average CPU exceeds 70% during the period.

2. Step 2: Identify effect of long metric period

   A long period averages out spikes, so short CPU spikes above 70% may not trigger alarm.

3. Final Answer:

   The metric period is too long, smoothing out spikes -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Long period averages hide spikes [OK]

Hint: Long metric periods smooth spikes, prevent alarms [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming threshold is set below 70%
• Ignoring missing alarm actions
• Thinking metrics can be disabled

5. You want to monitor the average latency of your web application every 5 minutes using CloudWatch. Which combination of settings is best to achieve this?

hard

A. Set metric period to 60 seconds and statistic to Sum

B. Set metric period to 300 seconds and statistic to Average

C. Set metric period to 300 seconds and statistic to Maximum

D. Set metric period to 60 seconds and statistic to Minimum

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand metric period and statistic

   Period defines how often data is collected; statistic defines how data is summarized.

2. Step 2: Match requirements to settings

   To monitor average latency every 5 minutes, use 300 seconds period and Average statistic.

3. Final Answer:

   Set metric period to 300 seconds and statistic to Average -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   5 min period + Average = correct monitoring [OK]

Hint: Use 300s period and Average for 5-minute average latency [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using Sum or Maximum instead of Average
• Using 60s period for 5-minute average
• Confusing Minimum with latency monitoring