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Amazon CloudWatch Logs

aws.amazon.com

From $0.03/mo Free plan WebAPI
Visit aws.amazon.com
Spec score 9.2 #1 of 24 in Log Analysis Software

What it is

Amazon CloudWatch Logs collects and stores logs from AWS resources, applications, services, on-premises systems, and other clouds. It offers log pipelines, structured parsing, archive export, and live tailing through web and API access. Logs Insights lets users query records with filters, aggregations, and regular expressions, then visualize time-series data or export results to CloudWatch Dashboards. Logs are available in Standard for real-time monitoring and advanced analytics, or Infrequent Access for ad-hoc queries and forensic analysis. Live Tail provides a central interactive view of streaming logs, while anomaly detection uses machine learning to identify patterns and changes. Users can search and analyze logs across accounts from a monitoring account at no additional cost. The free tier includes 5 GB for ingestion, archive storage, and query scans, plus 1,800 Live Tail minutes per month. Usage-based charges are billed at month end, with no upfront commitment or minimum fee; rates vary by Region.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Amazon CloudWatch collects and stores logs from AWS resources, applications, services, on-premises resources, and other clouds.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Deployment options
cloudRead 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free plan
NoRead 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Integrations
CloudWatch Logs integrates with Amazon OpenSearch Service for querying and analyzing logs without moving or duplicating the data.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Security
CloudWatch Logs data is encrypted at rest and in transit, supports AWS KMS encryption for log groups, and is PCI and FedRAMP compliant.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Support
The CloudWatch page directs users with questions to contact AWS.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Founded
2006Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Agent frameworks
Native support includes LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenAI Agents SDK, Vercel AI SDK, and Strands.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Anomaly detection
CloudWatch Logs Anomaly Detection uses machine learning to identify shared log structures, notable content, trends, and anomalies.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Anomaly response
Teams can detect anomalies, set alarms, and automate responses.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Archive export
YesRead 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
AWS integrations
CloudWatch has native integrations across virtually every AWS service.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
AWS support channels
AWS provides contact support, support tickets, re:Post, and the Knowledge Center.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Collection methods
Logs can be published using the CloudWatch Agent installed with AWS Systems Manager or through the PutLogData API action.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Cross-account views
Logs can be viewed and analyzed from multiple accounts in a monitoring account at no additional cost.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Cross-account visibility
Cross-account observability supports searching log groups and running Logs Insights queries across accounts from a central view.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free alarm metrics
The free tier includes 10 alarm metrics for applicable standard-resolution alarms.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free Contributor rule
The free tier includes one Contributor Insights rule per month.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free custom metrics
The free tier includes 10 custom or detailed monitoring metrics.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free dashboards
The free tier includes three custom dashboards referencing up to 50 metrics each per month.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free Live Tail
The free tier includes 1,800 minutes of Live Tail usage per month.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free logs allowance
The free tier includes 5 GB for ingestion, archive storage, and Logs Insights data scanned.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Live Tail
Live Tail provides interactive real-time analysis of streaming log data from a central view.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Live Tail pricing
Paid Live Tail usage is priced at $0.01 per minute.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Log analysis
Logs Insights supports queries with aggregations, filters, and regular expressions, and can visualize time-series data and export results to CloudWatch Dashboards.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Log classes
CloudWatch Logs offers Standard for real-time monitoring and advanced analytics, and Infrequent Access for ad-hoc querying and forensic analysis.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Log pipelines
YesRead 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Managed observability
CloudWatch collects and visualizes metrics, logs, and traces across AWS environments.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Monthly charging
Usage is charged at the end of the month.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Open-source integrations
It integrates with Prometheus and Grafana and supports OpenTelemetry standards.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Real-time visibility
It provides visibility into resource utilization, application performance, and operational health.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Sensitive data protection
Data protection policies can scan ingested logs and mask sensitive information using machine learning and pattern matching.Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Structured log parsing
YesRead 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Third-party sources
Direct third-party log integrations include CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Office 365, Okta Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID, Wiz, GitHub Audit Logs, and others.Read 28 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Usage-based billing
There is no upfront commitment or minimum fee; customers pay for usage.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Workload locations
Workloads can run on AWS, on premises, or on other clouds.Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com

Plans and prices

Logs data ingestion $0.50 a month Published rate for the first 10 TB per month in US East (N. Virginia); rates vary by Region and tier. Pay-as-you-go ingestion pricing Read 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Logs archive storage $0.03 a month Published rate; rates vary by Region. Pay-as-you-go archived log storage Read 24 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Pay-as-you-go Price not published Usage billed at the end of each month; rates vary by Region No upfront commitment or minimum fee · charges depend on usage Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Free tier Free 5 GB of logs for ingestion, archive storage, and Logs Insights scans · 1,800 Live Tail minutes/month Includes stated monthly allowances for CloudWatch features. Read 28 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Paid usage Price not published charged at the end of the month No upfront commitment or minimum fee; pricing varies by Region. Read 27 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com

Every Amazon CloudWatch Logs plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Queries support filters, aggregations, and regular expressions.
  • Live Tail offers interactive streaming log analysis.
  • Cross-account log analysis has no additional cost.
  • Free tier includes 5 GB of log allowance.

Limits

  • Paid Live Tail costs $0.01 per minute.
  • Usage rates vary by Region.
  • Free Live Tail is limited to 1,800 minutes monthly.

Who it suits

It suits teams monitoring workloads across AWS, on-premises, or other clouds, especially those needing centralized log analysis across accounts. It also supports teams using Prometheus, Grafana, or OpenTelemetry.

Verdict

CloudWatch Logs combines log collection, query tools, live tailing, and cross-account analysis. The free tier has defined allowances, while paid usage is billed monthly and varies by Region.

Where Specifiction places it

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