Monitoring EC2 CPU Utilization with Amazon CloudWatch

CLF-C02 By islever Editorial Last updated

Identify AWS artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) services and analytics services.

Short answer

D Amazon CloudWatch collects and monitors CPU utilization metrics for EC2 instances.

Question

A systems administrator wants to monitor the CPU utilization of a company's Amazon EC2 instances. Which AWS service can provide this information?
  1. AWS Config
  2. AWS Trusted Advisor
  3. AWS CloudTrail
  4. Amazon CloudWatch Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

Tests knowledge of AWS monitoring tools; the trap is confusing metric collection (CloudWatch) with configuration tracking (Config) or security auditing (CloudTrail).

Amazon CloudWatch is the native AWS service for monitoring resource metrics such as CPU utilization for EC2 instances. This page explains why CloudWatch is the correct choice over configuration, audit, and advisory services.

Common mistake: Learners often select AWS Config because it monitors resource configurations, but it does not provide real-time performance metrics like CPU usage.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Amazon CloudWatch is specifically designed to collect and track metrics, including system-level data like CPU utilization, from AWS resources such as EC2 instances. It provides granular, time-series data that allows administrators to visualize performance trends and set alarms.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes and compliance, not performance metrics. AWS Trusted Advisor offers best practice checks and cost optimization insights, not real-time telemetry. AWS CloudTrail logs API calls for auditing purposes, which does not include instance CPU statistics.

Community Comment Notes

The community consensus strongly supports CloudWatch, with users noting that "CPU => Cloudwatch" directly links the metric to the service. Comments emphasize that CloudWatch is the standard for real-time monitoring tasks.

Exam Strategy

When asked about monitoring specific resource metrics (CPU, memory, network), always choose CloudWatch. Reserve Config for change tracking, CloudTrail for API logging, and Trusted Advisor for health/cost checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not use AWS Config for CPU monitoring?

AWS Config tracks resource state and configuration changes, not real-time performance metrics like CPU load.

Does CloudTrail show CPU usage?

No, CloudTrail only logs API requests and responses for security auditing and governance, not system metrics.

More CLF-C02 FAQ →

Community Votes

D
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 4 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 4

  1. Meow7 👍 1
    Cloudwatch is correct. Please help with discussion on 514 ~ 519. Thanks.
  2. ec97a02 👍 1 Answered D
    D. Amazon CloudWatch coz is real time monitor.
  3. ShaiTay 👍 1 Answered D
    D. Amazon CloudWatch
  4. Naantje 👍 1
    CPU => Cloudwatch

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