Find out why an app is slow — CloudWatch

Your goal

Publish a practice metric and save an alarm threshold for it.

Why this matters

An alarm needs a metric, a comparison, and a threshold. You will publish a sample number and configure an alarm for it. The sample is training data, and no real alert recipient is attached.

Words you will use

A metric is a number measured over time. A log records details of an event. An alarm sends a warning when a rule is met.

How to proceed

Start a fresh emulator, read each numbered step, and enter the practice settings shown. Run the action, inspect its API receipt, then continue. Finish lab checks the emulator state again before saving your progress.

1. Publish a response-time measurement

Send a sample measurement of 120 milliseconds to the CloudArcade/Practice namespace. A metric is a number tracked over time. This is invented training data, not a measurement of the live website.

2. Choose an alarm threshold

Set an alarm that compares average response time with your threshold over one minute. No notification destination is attached. A threshold should reflect an application’s needs and normal behavior.

Response-time threshold in milliseconds: Choose 50–5000 milliseconds for this training alarm. Suggested practice value: 200.

3. Inspect the alarm configuration

Read the alarm and compare its threshold, period, and metric with your request. This lab verifies configuration; it does not wait for an alarm transition or send an alert.

Practice, then check your understanding

Perform the actions yourself and inspect the returned state. Errors keep your settings so you can retry. Starting another lab clears the previous live environment. Earned XP is kept, and signed-in achievements sync to your account. Replay does not award duplicate XP.

Read the official AWS documentation for service behavior and production details.