Default vs custom metrics in AWS - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding Default Metrics in AWS CloudWatch

Which of the following statements correctly describes AWS CloudWatch default metrics?

A Default metrics only include custom application logs sent to CloudWatch.

B Default metrics require manual setup and are charged per metric collected.

C Default metrics are automatically collected for AWS services without extra configuration and are available at no additional cost.

D Default metrics are only available for EC2 instances and not for other AWS services.

💡 Hint

Think about what AWS provides out-of-the-box for monitoring without extra setup.

AWS CloudWatch provides default metrics automatically for many AWS services like EC2, RDS, and ELB. These metrics are collected without extra configuration and do not incur additional charges.

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

Behavior of Custom Metrics in AWS CloudWatch

What happens when you publish a custom metric to AWS CloudWatch?

A The metric is stored, but you are charged based on the number of metrics and data points published.

B The metric is stored and available immediately with no charges applied.

C The metric replaces any default metrics with the same name automatically.

D The metric is only stored locally on the instance and not visible in CloudWatch.

💡 Hint

Consider AWS pricing for custom monitoring data.

Custom metrics in CloudWatch are stored and visible like default metrics, but AWS charges based on the number of custom metrics and data points you publish.

❓ Architecture

advanced

Designing Monitoring with Default and Custom Metrics

You want to monitor an application running on EC2 instances. You need CPU usage, memory usage, and a custom business metric. Which approach is best?

A Use default metrics for business data and custom metrics for CPU and memory.

B Create custom metrics for CPU, memory, and business data to have consistent data sources.

C Use only default metrics since they cover CPU and memory usage automatically.

D Use default CloudWatch metrics for CPU and create a custom metric for memory and business data.

💡 Hint

Remember which metrics AWS collects by default and which require custom setup.

CloudWatch provides CPU usage as a default metric for EC2, but memory usage is not collected by default and requires a custom metric. Business-specific data also requires custom metrics.

❓ security

advanced

Security Considerations for Custom Metrics in AWS CloudWatch

Which of the following is a best practice to secure custom metrics data sent to CloudWatch?

A Use IAM roles with least privilege to allow only necessary metric publishing permissions.

B Allow all EC2 instances to publish metrics to CloudWatch without restrictions for simplicity.

C Send custom metrics over unencrypted HTTP to reduce latency.

D Store custom metrics data locally on instances to avoid exposing data in CloudWatch.

💡 Hint

Think about AWS security best practices for permissions and data transmission.

Using IAM roles with least privilege ensures only authorized entities can publish custom metrics. Data should be sent securely, and unrestricted permissions increase risk.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Cost Optimization with Default and Custom Metrics

Your application generates many custom metrics, causing high CloudWatch costs. Which strategy best reduces costs while maintaining monitoring quality?

A Delete all custom metrics and rely only on default metrics regardless of monitoring needs.

B Aggregate multiple related custom metrics into fewer metrics using dimensions and statistics.

C Increase the frequency of custom metric publishing to get more detailed data.

D Publish all metrics as separate custom metrics without aggregation for clarity.

💡 Hint

Think about how to reduce the number of metrics without losing important information.

Aggregating related metrics using dimensions and statistics reduces the number of custom metrics and data points, lowering costs while keeping monitoring effective.