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CloudTrail

Overview​

A service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that enables governance, compliance, and operational auditing of your AWS account. It allows you to track and log API calls made within your AWS environment, providing a comprehensive audit trail of activities performed on your AWS resources.

CloudTrail Intro

Key Features​

  • API Activity Logging
  • Compliance and Security
  • Integration with AWS Services
  • Event Tracking
  • Trail Configuration
  • Event History and Analysis

Use Cases​

  1. Security Monitoring:
  • Track and analyze API calls to detect potential security threats or unauthorized access to AWS resources.
  1. Compliance Auditing:
  • Provide an audit trail for compliance with regulatory standards and internal policies.
  1. Operational Troubleshooting:
  • Diagnose issues by reviewing historical API calls to understand what actions were taken and by whom.
  1. Change Tracking:
  • Monitor changes to your AWS environment and configurations, ensuring accountability and tracking modifications.

Analogy​

AWS CloudTrail is like a detailed security camera system for your AWS environment. Just as security cameras record every activity in a building, CloudTrail logs every API call made to your AWS resources, providing a comprehensive record that you can review to understand what happened, when, and by whom.

Example of CloudTrail Event History​

CloudTrail Event History CloudTrail Event History - Inside