AWS CLI Command Reference

[ aws . cloudwatch ]

get-metric-data

Description

You can use the GetMetricData API to retrieve CloudWatch metric values. The operation can also include a CloudWatch Metrics Insights query, and one or more metric math functions.

A GetMetricData operation that does not include a query can retrieve as many as 500 different metrics in a single request, with a total of as many as 100,800 data points. You can also optionally perform metric math expressions on the values of the returned statistics, to create new time series that represent new insights into your data. For example, using Lambda metrics, you could divide the Errors metric by the Invocations metric to get an error rate time series. For more information about metric math expressions, see Metric Math Syntax and Functions in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide .

If you include a Metrics Insights query, each GetMetricData operation can include only one query. But the same GetMetricData operation can also retrieve other metrics. Metrics Insights queries can query only the most recent three hours of metric data. For more information about Metrics Insights, see Query your metrics with CloudWatch Metrics Insights .

Calls to the GetMetricData API have a different pricing structure than calls to GetMetricStatistics . For more information about pricing, see Amazon CloudWatch Pricing .

Amazon CloudWatch retains metric data as follows:

  • Data points with a period of less than 60 seconds are available for 3 hours. These data points are high-resolution metrics and are available only for custom metrics that have been defined with a StorageResolution of 1.

  • Data points with a period of 60 seconds (1-minute) are available for 15 days.

  • Data points with a period of 300 seconds (5-minute) are available for 63 days.

  • Data points with a period of 3600 seconds (1 hour) are available for 455 days (15 months).

Data points that are initially published with a shorter period are aggregated together for long-term storage. For example, if you collect data using a period of 1 minute, the data remains available for 15 days with 1-minute resolution. After 15 days, this data is still available, but is aggregated and retrievable only with a resolution of 5 minutes. After 63 days, the data is further aggregated and is available with a resolution of 1 hour.

If you omit Unit in your request, all data that was collected with any unit is returned, along with the corresponding units that were specified when the data was reported to CloudWatch. If you specify a unit, the operation returns only data that was collected with that unit specified. If you specify a unit that does not match the data collected, the results of the operation are null. CloudWatch does not perform unit conversions.

Using Metrics Insights queries with metric math

You can’t mix a Metric Insights query and metric math syntax in the same expression, but you can reference results from a Metrics Insights query within other Metric math expressions. A Metrics Insights query without a GROUP BY clause returns a single time-series (TS), and can be used as input for a metric math expression that expects a single time series. A Metrics Insights query with a GROUP BY clause returns an array of time-series (TS[]), and can be used as input for a metric math expression that expects an array of time series.

See also: AWS API Documentation

See ‘aws help’ for descriptions of global parameters.

get-metric-data is a paginated operation. Multiple API calls may be issued in order to retrieve the entire data set of results. You can disable pagination by providing the --no-paginate argument. When using --output text and the --query argument on a paginated response, the --query argument must extract data from the results of the following query expressions: MetricDataResults, Messages

Synopsis

  get-metric-data
--metric-data-queries <value>
--start-time <value>
--end-time <value>
[--scan-by <value>]
[--label-options <value>]
[--cli-input-json | --cli-input-yaml]
[--starting-token <value>]
[--page-size <value>]
[--max-items <value>]
[--generate-cli-skeleton <value>]

Options

--metric-data-queries (list)

The metric queries to be returned. A single GetMetricData call can include as many as 500 MetricDataQuery structures. Each of these structures can specify either a metric to retrieve, a Metrics Insights query, or a math expression to perform on retrieved data.

(structure)

This structure is used in both GetMetricData and PutMetricAlarm . The supported use of this structure is different for those two operations.

When used in GetMetricData , it indicates the metric data to return, and whether this call is just retrieving a batch set of data for one metric, or is performing a Metrics Insights query or a math expression. A single GetMetricData call can include up to 500 MetricDataQuery structures.

When used in PutMetricAlarm , it enables you to create an alarm based on a metric math expression. Each MetricDataQuery in the array specifies either a metric to retrieve, or a math expression to be performed on retrieved metrics. A single PutMetricAlarm call can include up to 20 MetricDataQuery structures in the array. The 20 structures can include as many as 10 structures that contain a MetricStat parameter to retrieve a metric, and as many as 10 structures that contain the Expression parameter to perform a math expression. Of those Expression structures, one must have True as the value for ReturnData . The result of this expression is the value the alarm watches.

Any expression used in a PutMetricAlarm operation must return a single time series. For more information, see Metric Math Syntax and Functions in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide .

Some of the parameters of this structure also have different uses whether you are using this structure in a GetMetricData operation or a PutMetricAlarm operation. These differences are explained in the following parameter list.

Id -> (string)

A short name used to tie this object to the results in the response. This name must be unique within a single call to GetMetricData . If you are performing math expressions on this set of data, this name represents that data and can serve as a variable in the mathematical expression. The valid characters are letters, numbers, and underscore. The first character must be a lowercase letter.

MetricStat -> (structure)

The metric to be returned, along with statistics, period, and units. Use this parameter only if this object is retrieving a metric and not performing a math expression on returned data.

Within one MetricDataQuery object, you must specify either Expression or MetricStat but not both.

Metric -> (structure)

The metric to return, including the metric name, namespace, and dimensions.

Namespace -> (string)

The namespace of the metric.

MetricName -> (string)

The name of the metric. This is a required field.

Dimensions -> (list)

The dimensions for the metric.

(structure)

A dimension is a name/value pair that is part of the identity of a metric. Because dimensions are part of the unique identifier for a metric, whenever you add a unique name/value pair to one of your metrics, you are creating a new variation of that metric. For example, many Amazon EC2 metrics publish InstanceId as a dimension name, and the actual instance ID as the value for that dimension.

You can assign up to 30 dimensions to a metric.

Name -> (string)

The name of the dimension. Dimension names must contain only ASCII characters, must include at least one non-whitespace character, and cannot start with a colon (: ).

Value -> (string)

The value of the dimension. Dimension values must contain only ASCII characters and must include at least one non-whitespace character.

Period -> (integer)

The granularity, in seconds, of the returned data points. For metrics with regular resolution, a period can be as short as one minute (60 seconds) and must be a multiple of 60. For high-resolution metrics that are collected at intervals of less than one minute, the period can be 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, or any multiple of 60. High-resolution metrics are those metrics stored by a PutMetricData call that includes a StorageResolution of 1 second.

If the StartTime parameter specifies a time stamp that is greater than 3 hours ago, you must specify the period as follows or no data points in that time range is returned:

  • Start time between 3 hours and 15 days ago - Use a multiple of 60 seconds (1 minute).

  • Start time between 15 and 63 days ago - Use a multiple of 300 seconds (5 minutes).

  • Start time greater than 63 days ago - Use a multiple of 3600 seconds (1 hour).

Stat -> (string)

The statistic to return. It can include any CloudWatch statistic or extended statistic.

Unit -> (string)

When you are using a Put operation, this defines what unit you want to use when storing the metric.

In a Get operation, if you omit Unit then all data that was collected with any unit is returned, along with the corresponding units that were specified when the data was reported to CloudWatch. If you specify a unit, the operation returns only data that was collected with that unit specified. If you specify a unit that does not match the data collected, the results of the operation are null. CloudWatch does not perform unit conversions.

Expression -> (string)

This field can contain either a Metrics Insights query, or a metric math expression to be performed on the returned data. For more information about Metrics Insights queries, see Metrics Insights query components and syntax in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide .

A math expression can use the Id of the other metrics or queries to refer to those metrics, and can also use the Id of other expressions to use the result of those expressions. For more information about metric math expressions, see Metric Math Syntax and Functions in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide .

Within each MetricDataQuery object, you must specify either Expression or MetricStat but not both.

Label -> (string)

A human-readable label for this metric or expression. This is especially useful if this is an expression, so that you know what the value represents. If the metric or expression is shown in a CloudWatch dashboard widget, the label is shown. If Label is omitted, CloudWatch generates a default.

You can put dynamic expressions into a label, so that it is more descriptive. For more information, see Using Dynamic Labels .

ReturnData -> (boolean)

When used in GetMetricData , this option indicates whether to return the timestamps and raw data values of this metric. If you are performing this call just to do math expressions and do not also need the raw data returned, you can specify False . If you omit this, the default of True is used.

When used in PutMetricAlarm , specify True for the one expression result to use as the alarm. For all other metrics and expressions in the same PutMetricAlarm operation, specify ReturnData as False.

Period -> (integer)

The granularity, in seconds, of the returned data points. For metrics with regular resolution, a period can be as short as one minute (60 seconds) and must be a multiple of 60. For high-resolution metrics that are collected at intervals of less than one minute, the period can be 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, or any multiple of 60. High-resolution metrics are those metrics stored by a PutMetricData operation that includes a StorageResolution of 1 second .

AccountId -> (string)

The ID of the account where the metrics are located, if this is a cross-account alarm.

Use this field only for PutMetricAlarm operations. It is not used in GetMetricData operations.

JSON Syntax:

[
  {
    "Id": "string",
    "MetricStat": {
      "Metric": {
        "Namespace": "string",
        "MetricName": "string",
        "Dimensions": [
          {
            "Name": "string",
            "Value": "string"
          }
          ...
        ]
      },
      "Period": integer,
      "Stat": "string",
      "Unit": "Seconds"|"Microseconds"|"Milliseconds"|"Bytes"|"Kilobytes"|"Megabytes"|"Gigabytes"|"Terabytes"|"Bits"|"Kilobits"|"Megabits"|"Gigabits"|"Terabits"|"Percent"|"Count"|"Bytes/Second"|"Kilobytes/Second"|"Megabytes/Second"|"Gigabytes/Second"|"Terabytes/Second"|"Bits/Second"|"Kilobits/Second"|"Megabits/Second"|"Gigabits/Second"|"Terabits/Second"|"Count/Second"|"None"
    },
    "Expression": "string",
    "Label": "string",
    "ReturnData": true|false,
    "Period": integer,
    "AccountId": "string"
  }
  ...
]

--start-time (timestamp)

The time stamp indicating the earliest data to be returned.

The value specified is inclusive; results include data points with the specified time stamp.

CloudWatch rounds the specified time stamp as follows:

  • Start time less than 15 days ago - Round down to the nearest whole minute. For example, 12:32:34 is rounded down to 12:32:00.

  • Start time between 15 and 63 days ago - Round down to the nearest 5-minute clock interval. For example, 12:32:34 is rounded down to 12:30:00.

  • Start time greater than 63 days ago - Round down to the nearest 1-hour clock interval. For example, 12:32:34 is rounded down to 12:00:00.

If you set Period to 5, 10, or 30, the start time of your request is rounded down to the nearest time that corresponds to even 5-, 10-, or 30-second divisions of a minute. For example, if you make a query at (HH:mm:ss) 01:05:23 for the previous 10-second period, the start time of your request is rounded down and you receive data from 01:05:10 to 01:05:20. If you make a query at 15:07:17 for the previous 5 minutes of data, using a period of 5 seconds, you receive data timestamped between 15:02:15 and 15:07:15.

For better performance, specify StartTime and EndTime values that align with the value of the metric’s Period and sync up with the beginning and end of an hour. For example, if the Period of a metric is 5 minutes, specifying 12:05 or 12:30 as StartTime can get a faster response from CloudWatch than setting 12:07 or 12:29 as the StartTime .

--end-time (timestamp)

The time stamp indicating the latest data to be returned.

The value specified is exclusive; results include data points up to the specified time stamp.

For better performance, specify StartTime and EndTime values that align with the value of the metric’s Period and sync up with the beginning and end of an hour. For example, if the Period of a metric is 5 minutes, specifying 12:05 or 12:30 as EndTime can get a faster response from CloudWatch than setting 12:07 or 12:29 as the EndTime .

--scan-by (string)

The order in which data points should be returned. TimestampDescending returns the newest data first and paginates when the MaxDatapoints limit is reached. TimestampAscending returns the oldest data first and paginates when the MaxDatapoints limit is reached.

Possible values:

  • TimestampDescending

  • TimestampAscending

--label-options (structure)

This structure includes the Timezone parameter, which you can use to specify your time zone so that the labels of returned data display the correct time for your time zone.

Timezone -> (string)

The time zone to use for metric data return in this operation. The format is + or - followed by four digits. The first two digits indicate the number of hours ahead or behind of UTC, and the final two digits are the number of minutes. For example, +0130 indicates a time zone that is 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of UTC. The default is +0000.

Shorthand Syntax:

Timezone=string

JSON Syntax:

{
  "Timezone": "string"
}

--cli-input-json | --cli-input-yaml (string) Reads arguments from the JSON string provided. The JSON string follows the format provided by --generate-cli-skeleton. If other arguments are provided on the command line, those values will override the JSON-provided values. It is not possible to pass arbitrary binary values using a JSON-provided value as the string will be taken literally. This may not be specified along with --cli-input-yaml.

--starting-token (string)

A token to specify where to start paginating. This is the NextToken from a previously truncated response.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--page-size (integer)

The size of each page to get in the AWS service call. This does not affect the number of items returned in the command’s output. Setting a smaller page size results in more calls to the AWS service, retrieving fewer items in each call. This can help prevent the AWS service calls from timing out.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--max-items (integer)

The total number of items to return in the command’s output. If the total number of items available is more than the value specified, a NextToken is provided in the command’s output. To resume pagination, provide the NextToken value in the starting-token argument of a subsequent command. Do not use the NextToken response element directly outside of the AWS CLI.

For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .

--generate-cli-skeleton (string) Prints a JSON skeleton to standard output without sending an API request. If provided with no value or the value input, prints a sample input JSON that can be used as an argument for --cli-input-json. Similarly, if provided yaml-input it will print a sample input YAML that can be used with --cli-input-yaml. If provided with the value output, it validates the command inputs and returns a sample output JSON for that command. The generated JSON skeleton is not stable between versions of the AWS CLI and there are no backwards compatibility guarantees in the JSON skeleton generated.

See ‘aws help’ for descriptions of global parameters.

Output

MetricDataResults -> (list)

The metrics that are returned, including the metric name, namespace, and dimensions.

(structure)

A GetMetricData call returns an array of MetricDataResult structures. Each of these structures includes the data points for that metric, along with the timestamps of those data points and other identifying information.

Id -> (string)

The short name you specified to represent this metric.

Label -> (string)

The human-readable label associated with the data.

Timestamps -> (list)

The timestamps for the data points, formatted in Unix timestamp format. The number of timestamps always matches the number of values and the value for Timestamps[x] is Values[x].

(timestamp)

Values -> (list)

The data points for the metric corresponding to Timestamps . The number of values always matches the number of timestamps and the timestamp for Values[x] is Timestamps[x].

(double)

StatusCode -> (string)

The status of the returned data. Complete indicates that all data points in the requested time range were returned. PartialData means that an incomplete set of data points were returned. You can use the NextToken value that was returned and repeat your request to get more data points. NextToken is not returned if you are performing a math expression. InternalError indicates that an error occurred. Retry your request using NextToken , if present.

Messages -> (list)

A list of messages with additional information about the data returned.

(structure)

A message returned by the GetMetricData API, including a code and a description.

If a cross-Region GetMetricData operation fails with a code of Forbidden and a value of Authentication too complex to retrieve cross region data , you can correct the problem by running the GetMetricData operation in the same Region where the metric data is.

Code -> (string)

The error code or status code associated with the message.

Value -> (string)

The message text.

NextToken -> (string)

A token that marks the next batch of returned results.

Messages -> (list)

Contains a message about this GetMetricData operation, if the operation results in such a message. An example of a message that might be returned is Maximum number of allowed metrics exceeded . If there is a message, as much of the operation as possible is still executed.

A message appears here only if it is related to the global GetMetricData operation. Any message about a specific metric returned by the operation appears in the MetricDataResult object returned for that metric.

(structure)

A message returned by the GetMetricData API, including a code and a description.

If a cross-Region GetMetricData operation fails with a code of Forbidden and a value of Authentication too complex to retrieve cross region data , you can correct the problem by running the GetMetricData operation in the same Region where the metric data is.

Code -> (string)

The error code or status code associated with the message.

Value -> (string)

The message text.

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