AWS Cloud Studies > CloudWatch Flashcards > Flashcards

CloudWatch Flashcards

(113 cards)

Study These Flashcards
1
Q

What is Amazon CloudWatch?

A

CloudWatch is a monitoring and observability service that provides data and actionable insights for AWS resources, applications, and services.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Which types of resources can CloudWatch monitor?

A

EC2
RDS
Lambda
EBS
DynamoDB
VPC
S3
custom applications
and on-premises servers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Name the three main CloudWatch components.

A

Metrics
Logs
Alarms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a CloudWatch metric?

A

A metric is a time-ordered set of data points representing the behavior of a resource or application.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the difference between standard and custom metrics?

A

Standard metrics are automatically provided by AWS for resources (e.g., CPUUtilization for EC2).
Custom metrics are user-defined metrics pushed to CloudWatch.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the default CloudWatch metrics retention period?

A

15 months (1-minute granularity for 15 days, 5-minute for 63 days, 1-hour for 15 months).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How frequently are standard EC2 metrics collected?

A

Every 5 minutes (basic monitoring) or every 1 minute (detailed monitoring).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a CloudWatch alarm?

A

An alarm watches a single metric and performs one or more actions based on a threshold over time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Name possible actions triggered by CloudWatch alarms.

A

Auto Scaling actions
EC2 instance actions (stop, terminate, reboot)
SNS notifications
Systems Manager automation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the difference between state values in CloudWatch alarms?

A

OK – metric is within threshold; ALARM – metric has crossed threshold; INSUFFICIENT_DATA – not enough data to determine state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Can CloudWatch alarms monitor multiple metrics?

A

Yes, using metric math to combine multiple metrics into a single expression.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a CloudWatch Log Group?

A

A logical group of log streams that share the same retention, monitoring, and access policies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is a CloudWatch Log Stream?

A

A sequence of log events from the same source, such as an EC2 instance or Lambda function.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Name the default log retention period.

A

Never expire (can be configured to a specific retention period).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is CloudWatch Logs Insights?

A

A tool for querying and analyzing log data in CloudWatch Logs using a purpose-built query language.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is a CloudWatch Dashboard?

A

A customizable visual interface to view metrics and alarms from multiple AWS resources in one place.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Can dashboards display both AWS and custom metrics?

A

Yes, CloudWatch dashboards can display metrics from AWS resources and custom metrics.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How many dashboards can you create by default per AWS account?

A

Up to 500 dashboards.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the difference between CloudWatch Events and EventBridge?

A

CloudWatch Events was renamed EventBridge. EventBridge can route events from AWS services, SaaS apps, or custom apps to targets (like Lambda, SNS, SQS).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Can CloudWatch trigger Lambda functions?

A

Yes, both via alarms and EventBridge rules.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the key factors affecting CloudWatch pricing?

A

Number of metrics:
dashboard
alarms
log data ingestion
storage
API requests
custom metrics.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Are standard metrics free?

A

Some standard metrics are free (basic EC2 metrics), but custom metrics are charged.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How can you reduce CloudWatch costs?

A

Use metric filters selectively
aggregate metrics
set appropriate log retention periods.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Name some AWS services integrated with CloudWatch.

A

EC2
RDS
Lambda
ECS
EKS
S3
DynamoDB
ELB
Auto Scaling
CloudTrail.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Can CloudWatch monitor on-premises servers?
Yes, by installing the CloudWatch Agent.
26
What is Amazon CloudWatch?
A monitoring and observability service that provides metrics, logs, alarms, and dashboards for AWS resources and applications.
27
Which AWS resources can CloudWatch monitor?
EC2 RDS Lambda EBS DynamoDB VPC S3 ECS EKS CloudTrail custom applications on-premises servers.
28
What are the three main CloudWatch components?
Metrics Logs Alarms.
29
What is a CloudWatch metric?
A time-ordered set of data points representing the behavior of a resource or application.
30
What is the difference between standard and custom metrics?
- Standard metrics are automatically provided by AWS - Custom metrics are user-defined and pushed to CloudWatch.
31
What is the default retention period for CloudWatch metrics?
15 months (1-min granularity for 15 days, 5-min for 63 days, 1-hr for 15 months).
32
How frequently are EC2 basic monitoring metrics collected?
Every 5 minutes.
33
How frequently are EC2 detailed monitoring metrics collected?
Every 1 minute.
34
What is a CloudWatch alarm?
An alarm monitors a single metric and triggers actions based on thresholds over a period.
35
What states can a CloudWatch alarm have?
OK ALARM INSUFFICIENT_DATA.
36
Which actions can CloudWatch alarms trigger?
Auto Scaling actions EC2 instance actions (stop, terminate, reboot) SNS notifications Systems Manager automation.
37
What is metric math in CloudWatch?
A feature that allows combining multiple metrics using mathematical expressions to create new derived metrics.
38
What is a CloudWatch Log Group?
A logical container for log streams with shared retention, monitoring, and access policies.
39
What is a CloudWatch Log Stream?
A sequence of log events from the same source, like an EC2 instance or Lambda function.
40
What is the default log retention period in CloudWatch?
Logs never expire by default, but a retention period can be configured.
41
What is CloudWatch Logs Insights?
A purpose-built query language to search, analyze, and visualize log data.
42
What are CloudWatch Dashboards?
Customizable visual interfaces to view metrics and alarms from multiple AWS resources in one place.
43
Can CloudWatch Dashboards display both AWS and custom metrics?
Yes.
44
How many dashboards can you create by default per AWS account?
Up to 500 dashboards.
45
What is the difference between CloudWatch Events and EventBridge?
EventBridge is the evolution of CloudWatch Events with enhanced event routing and integration with SaaS sources.
46
Can CloudWatch trigger Lambda functions?
Yes, both via alarms and EventBridge rules.
47
How can CloudWatch pricing vary?
Based on metrics, custom metrics, dashboards, alarms, log data ingestion, storage, and API requests.
48
Are standard metrics free in CloudWatch?
Some standard metrics are free (basic EC2 metrics); custom metrics are charged.
49
How can you reduce CloudWatch costs?
Use metric filters selectively, aggregate metrics, and set appropriate log retention periods.
50
Can CloudWatch monitor on-premises servers?
Yes, using the CloudWatch Agent.
51
What is the difference between standard and high-resolution metrics?
Standard metrics have 1-minute granularity; high-resolution metrics can have 1-second granularity.
52
What is a composite alarm?
An alarm that combines multiple other alarms using boolean logic (AND/OR).
53
What is anomaly detection in CloudWatch?
A feature using machine learning to model metric behavior and detect unusual deviations.
54
Can CloudWatch anomaly detection alarms trigger actions?
Yes, they function like normal alarms with actions.
55
What is a metric filter?
A pattern to extract metric data from log events in CloudWatch Logs.
56
Can you create custom metrics from log data?
Yes, using metric filters.
57
What is the maximum number of metrics per namespace in CloudWatch?
Up to 10,000 metrics per namespace by default.
58
What is a CloudWatch Contributor Insights rule?
A feature to analyze log data and create reports showing top contributors to system activity.
59
What is a CloudWatch Embedded Metric Format (EMF)?
A structured JSON format that allows applications to embed metrics in logs for automatic ingestion.
60
What is the maximum retention for CloudWatch Logs?
Up to indefinite, configurable per log group.
61
What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous log delivery to CloudWatch?
- Synchronous logs are delivered directly as they occur - Asynchronous logs may be batched and delivered later.
62
Can CloudWatch Logs trigger Lambda functions?
Yes, using log subscriptions.
63
What is the difference between CloudWatch Alarms and SNS?
Alarms detect threshold breaches SNS delivers notifications triggered by alarms or other events.
64
Can CloudWatch monitor VPC Flow Logs?
Yes, VPC Flow Logs can be sent to CloudWatch Logs for analysis.
65
Can CloudWatch monitor S3 access logs?
Yes, by sending them to CloudWatch Logs via Lambda or Kinesis.
66
What is a CloudWatch Events Rule?
A rule that matches events and routes them to targets like Lambda, SNS, or SQS.
67
Can CloudWatch monitor application metrics from outside AWS?
Yes, via the CloudWatch Agent or PutMetricData API.
68
Can CloudWatch alarms be created via the AWS CLI?
Yes, using the put-metric-alarm command.
69
What is the maximum number of actions per CloudWatch alarm?
Up to 10 actions per alarm (can include multiple notification or automation actions).
70
Can CloudWatch monitor custom application logs?
Yes, by configuring log agents or APIs to send data to CloudWatch Logs.
71
What is the default metric resolution for custom metrics?
1 minute; can be configured to 1 second for high-resolution metrics.
72
Can CloudWatch generate automatic dashboards?
Yes, via CloudWatch Contributor Insights and EMF metrics.
73
What is CloudWatch Synthetics?
A feature to create canaries that monitor endpoints and APIs for availability and performance.
74
Can CloudWatch integrate with AWS X-Ray?
Yes, CloudWatch can display X-Ray traces in dashboards and logs.
75
Can CloudWatch trigger Systems Manager automation documents?
Yes, alarms can invoke Systems Manager runbooks.
76
What is the maximum size of a single CloudWatch log event?
256 KB per log event.
77
Can CloudWatch export logs to S3?
Yes, using the Export task feature.
78
What is CloudWatch Metric Streams?
A feature to continuously stream metrics to a destination like S3 or partner tools in near real-time.
79
Can CloudWatch monitor ECS container metrics?
Yes, ECS metrics are available in CloudWatch for CPU, memory, and custom metrics.
80
What is the difference between namespace and metric name?
Namespace is a container for metrics; metric name is the specific metric within that namespace.
81
Can CloudWatch metrics be tagged?
Yes, allowing categorization and cost allocation.
82
Can CloudWatch detect spikes and anomalies automatically?
Yes, using anomaly detection.
83
What is the maximum number of dashboards per region?
500 dashboards per AWS account per region.
84
What is the maximum number of alarms per account per region?
5,000 alarms by default (soft limit).
85
Can CloudWatch Dashboards show real-time data?
Yes, dashboards refresh metrics up to the metric resolution.
86
Can CloudWatch metric data be retrieved programmatically?
Yes, via the GetMetricData and GetMetricStatistics APIs.
87
What is CloudWatch Agent?
An agent installed on EC2 or on-premises servers to collect system-level metrics and logs.
88
What metrics can CloudWatch Agent collect?
CPU, memory, disk, network, swap, processes, and custom application metrics.
89
Can CloudWatch monitor Lambda function errors and duration?
Yes, Lambda publishes metrics such as Invocations, Duration, Errors, Throttles, and IteratorAge.
90
Can CloudWatch track API Gateway metrics?
Yes, metrics include Latency, Count, 4XX/5XX errors, and IntegrationLatency.
91
Can CloudWatch monitor RDS database metrics?
Yes, including CPUUtilization, FreeStorageSpace, DatabaseConnections, and DiskQueueDepth.
92
Can CloudWatch monitor DynamoDB metrics?
Yes, including ReadCapacityUnits, WriteCapacityUnits, ThrottledRequests, and ConsumedCapacityUnits.
93
Can CloudWatch monitor ELB/ALB metrics?
Yes, Including RequestCount HealthyHostCount UnHealthyHostCount Latency HTTPCode metrics.
94
Can CloudWatch monitor Step Functions metrics?
Yes, including ExecutionsStarted, ExecutionsSucceeded, ExecutionsFailed, and ExecutionsTimedOut.
95
Can CloudWatch monitor CloudFront metrics?
Yes including Requests BytesDownloaded BytesUploaded 4XX/5XX error rates CacheHitRate.
96
Can CloudWatch monitor auto-scaling metrics?
Yes, Including GroupMinSize GroupMaxSize GroupDesiredCapacity GroupInServiceInstances.
97
Can CloudWatch integrate with third-party monitoring tools?
Yes, via Metric Streams or API data export.
98
Can CloudWatch track cost and usage metrics?
Yes, via AWS Cost and Usage Reports exported to CloudWatch or integrated with billing metrics.
99
Can CloudWatch alert on EC2 instance status checks?
Yes, via metrics like StatusCheckFailed and StatusCheckFailed_Instance.
100
Can CloudWatch store log data long-term?
Yes, logs can be retained indefinitely or for a set period and exported to S3 for archival.
101
Can CloudWatch aggregate metrics across regions?
Yes, using cross-region dashboards or Metric Streams.
102
Can CloudWatch monitor network traffic?
Yes, via VPC Flow Logs and CloudWatch Agent metrics.
103
Can CloudWatch monitor system memory usage?
Yes, using CloudWatch Agent on EC2 or on-premises servers.
104
Can CloudWatch monitor disk usage?
Yes, using CloudWatch Agent or custom metrics.
105
Can CloudWatch monitor swap usage?
Yes, via CloudWatch Agent.
106
Can CloudWatch alarms be muted temporarily?
Yes, using actions to disable or suppress notifications, though there is no direct 'mute' button.
107
Can CloudWatch integrate with CloudTrail?
Yes, CloudWatch can receive CloudTrail logs for event monitoring.
108
Can CloudWatch alarms be set on percentage metrics?
Yes, e.g., CPUUtilization > 80% triggers an alarm.
109
Can CloudWatch alarms be set on aggregated metrics?
Yes, via metric math or statistics like SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN.
110
Can CloudWatch dashboards include widgets?
Yes, including line, stacked area, number, text, and gauge widgets.
111
Can CloudWatch trigger multiple alarms from one metric?
Yes, by creating multiple alarms with different thresholds or conditions.
112
Can CloudWatch monitor custom applications with EMF?
Yes, applications can emit structured JSON logs in Embedded Metric Format for CloudWatch ingestion.
113
Can CloudWatch handle high-frequency metrics from IoT devices?
Yes, using high-resolution metrics with 1-second granularity.
AWS Cloud Studies
flashcards
Decks in class (32)
# Cards
Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2026 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions