CloudWatch vs CloudTrail - Which AWS Monitoring Tool is Better for Your Business?
AWS cloud infrastructure is widely used and considered reliable by many businesses. Nevertheless, the importance of monitoring and auditing your cloud infrastructure cannot be overstated, and AWS offers two commonly used tools for that purpose - CloudWatch and CloudTrail.
In this blog post, we'll examine both tools, their features, limitations, and costs in order to help you decide which one is better for your business.
CloudWatch
CloudWatch is an AWS-provided tool that offers monitoring and logging services, alongside actionable insights and alerts. It can keep an eye on CPU usage, disk usage, network activity, and more.
CloudWatch Metrics provides various metrics to monitor, and CloudWatch Logs capture log files and their contents. CloudWatch Events can then listen to these logs and metrics and trigger specific actions when something happens.
Features
- Real-time monitoring and logging of cloud infrastructure
- Customizable metrics and logging options
- Notifications via email, SMS, or other methods
- Integration with AWS automation tools
- Integration with third-party tools
Limitations
- Limited to AWS-provided services and applications
- Higher costs for high-resolution metrics and logs
- Limited customizability with default alarm actions
Cost
CloudWatch costs $0.30 per metric per month and $0.50 per GB of log data ingested. Custom alerts and alarms can also be set up starting at $0.10 per alarm per month.
CloudTrail
CloudTrail is a logging and auditing tool providing visibility into changes made to your AWS account, including who made them and when they were made. It can also capture errors and exceptions in order to troubleshoot and debug issues.
Features
- Detailed, searchable audit logs of AWS account activity
- Integration with AWS CloudWatch logs and alerts
- Automatic log files archiving
- Cross-account auditing
Limitations
- Not all API calls are logged by default
- No automatic alert notifications
- Only log files created after enabling CloudTrail
Cost
CloudTrail costs $0.10 per 100,000 events with an additional cost of $2.00 per GB of data stored each month. This can vary depending on data volume.
Comparison
Here is a comparison table for an at-a-glance overview of the differences between CloudWatch and CloudTrail:
| Features | CloudWatch | CloudTrail |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics | Yes | No |
| Customizable | Yes | No |
| Notification methods | Multiple | None |
| Custom alarm actions | Limited | No |
| AWS account activity monitoring | No | Yes |
| Searchable logs | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Multiple | Multiple |
| API call logging | Yes | Some |
| Automatic log archiving | No | Yes |
| Automatic alert notifications | Yes | No |
| Cost | $0.30 per metric/month, other costs variable | $0.10 per 100,000 events, $2.00 per GB/month |
Conclusion
Both CloudWatch and CloudTrail are important monitoring tools for AWS cloud infrastructure. CloudWatch is best for monitoring metrics and sending custom alerts, while CloudTrail provides visibility into AWS account activity and is useful for logging and auditing purposes.
The best tool for your business depends on your specific needs and budget. Regardless of which tool you choose, it's essential to monitor and manage your AWS infrastructure.
References
- AWS CloudWatch Documentation [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/index.html]
- AWS CloudTrail Documentation [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloudtrail/index.html]