CloudWatch Metrics Pricing Explained in Plain English

Amazon CloudWatch is an observability tool designed to monitor cloud infrastructure by aggregating logs and metrics in a central datastore, offering visualization tools to help detect service issues. It emphasizes the three pillars of observability: metrics, logs, and traces, with traces available through AWS X-Ray. CloudWatch pricing is based on data ingestion, retention, and management, with a free tier offering limited service allowances before transitioning to a paid tier. Metrics pricing depends on the number and frequency of tracked custom metrics, with volume discounts available for large enterprises. Basic monitoring provides core metrics for services like EC2 without charge, while detailed monitoring offers higher resolution at a cost. Custom metrics incur charges based on the number of API calls and dimensions. CloudWatch Metrics' data retention policy aggregates data over time, balancing data fidelity with cost. Best practices suggest prioritizing monitoring for mission-critical services while minimizing unnecessary metrics, with a focus on balancing data detail against cost efficiency.