How To Create a CloudWatch Dashboard | Step by Step Walkthrough

Introduction

Creating a CloudWatch dashboard is essential for monitoring the health of your AWS systems. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up a dashboard in AWS CloudWatch, adding various widgets to visualize metrics and alarms, and customizing your dashboard for better insights.

Step 1: Access the CloudWatch Dashboard

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to the CloudWatch service:
   • Click on "CloudWatch" in the services menu, or type "CloudWatch" in the search bar.
3. On the CloudWatch homepage, click on "Dashboards" in the left-hand menu.

Step 2: Create a New Dashboard

1. Click on the orange "Create dashboard" button.
2. Enter a name for your dashboard (e.g., "Demo Dashboard").
3. Click on "Create dashboard" to proceed.

Step 3: Understand the Dashboard Interface

• Familiarize yourself with the dashboard interface:
  • The top left allows you to switch between different dashboards.
  • The top right offers options for adjusting the time range for metrics (e.g., one day, three days, custom).
  • Use the "Actions" menu for additional options like saving or sharing the dashboard.

Step 4: Adding Widgets

1. Click on "Add widget" in the top right corner.
2. Choose the type of widget you want to create. Here are some common options:
   • Line Graph: Great for displaying trends over time.
   • Stacked Area Graph: Useful for showing multiple metrics as areas stacked on top of each other.
   • Number Widget: Displays a single key metric (e.g., total errors).
   • Text Widget: Adds structure to your dashboard using markdown for titles or instructions.
   • Alarm Status: Displays the status of your configured alarms.

Step 5: Configure Your First Widget

1. For example, to add a Line Graph:
   • Choose "Line" and select "Metrics" as the data source.
   • Search for your desired metrics (e.g., from a Lambda function).
   • Select the metrics you want to display (e.g., number of invocations and errors).
   • Click "Create widget" to add it to the dashboard.

Step 6: Edit Widget Settings

1. Click on the three dots on the widget you just created and select "Edit."
2. Change the metrics display settings:
   • Adjust the statistic (e.g., sum instead of average).
   • Change the time granularity (e.g., from five minutes to one minute).
3. Click "Update widget" to save your changes.

Step 7: Add More Widgets

1. Repeat the widget addition process for other types of visualizations:
   • Add a Stacked Area widget to visualize metrics like duration across all Lambda functions.
   • Create a Number widget to show total errors.
   • Use a Text widget to label sections of your dashboard (e.g., "Core Health Metrics").

Step 8: Incorporate Alarm Widgets

1. Click "Add widget" and select "Alarm status."
2. Choose the specific alarm you want to visualize.
3. Add this widget to your dashboard to quickly monitor alarm states.

Step 9: Enhance Dashboard Usability

1. Add Annotations: For example, add horizontal lines to indicate service level agreements (SLAs).
   • Edit the widget, go to "Options," and select "Add horizontal annotation."
   • Enter the label (e.g., "SLA") and value (in milliseconds).
2. Set Auto Refresh: Enable auto-refresh for your dashboard for real-time monitoring.
3. Save Your Dashboard: Regularly click "Save dashboard" to ensure your changes are not lost.

Conclusion

You have now created a comprehensive CloudWatch dashboard to monitor your AWS systems effectively. By adding and customizing widgets, you can gain valuable insights into your system's performance and health. Explore further by reviewing additional CloudWatch features or integrating with other AWS services for enhanced monitoring capabilities.