Create Dashboard

In modern serverless environments where distributed applications are built, monitoring, tracking, and diagnosing issues are critically important. To avoid getting “lost” in thousands of log lines, Amazon CloudWatch Dashboard provides an intuitive visual interface.

Objectives

  • Monitor system status in real-time.
  • Quickly detect performance issues or errors.
  • Understand user behavior and API access frequency.
  • Make data-driven decisions, not based on assumptions.

The dashboard works like a miniature system map, composed of various charts and metrics, providing both a high-level and in-depth view.

Steps to Implement

1. Create a new Dashboard

  • Go to CloudWatch Console
  • Select Dashboards → click Create dashboard

Dashboard

  • Name your dashboard (e.g., MonitoringAPI)

Dashboard

  • Choose the widget type to display: Line, Number, Bar, or Text

Dashboard

2. Add API Gateway Monitoring Chart

  • Widget Type: Line
  • Metric:
    • Select API Gateway → By ApiName

Dashboard
Dashboard

  • Choose the following metrics: Latency, 4XXError, 5XXError

Dashboard

  • Statistic: Average
  • Period: 1 Minute

3. Add Lambda Monitoring Chart

  • Widget Type: Line or Number
  • Metric:
    • Service: Lambda
    • Metrics: Duration, Invocations, Errors, Throttles
    • Filter by individual function (by ARN or name)

4. Add DynamoDB Monitoring Chart

  • Widget Type: Line or Stacked Area
  • Metric:
    • Service: DynamoDB
    • Metrics: ConsumedReadCapacityUnits, ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits, ThrottledRequests
    • Filter by each table (table name)

5. Organize the Dashboard

  • Drag and drop widgets to arrange them neatly
  • Use clear names for each chart: “API Error Rate”, “Lambda Duration”, “DynamoDB Usage”, etc.
  • Apply contrasting colors for readability
  • Save after completing the layout

Dashboard