Trail
A trail in AWS CloudTrail is a configuration that enables delivery of event logs to specified Amazon S3 buckets, Amazon CloudWatch Logs log groups, or an Amazon SNS Topic. You can create one or more trails for an AWS account. By enabling trails, you can periodically capture and store the API activity for later review and analysis. A trail also supports log file encryption using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and allows you to define how long the logs should be stored.
Guide on the AWS CloudTrail
What is AWS CloudTrail?
AWS CloudTrail is a service offered by Amazon Web Services that provides event history of your AWS account activity, including actions taken through the AWS Management Console, AWS SDKs, command-line tools, and other AWS services. This event history simplifies security analysis, resource change tracking, and troubleshooting. In addition, you can use CloudTrail to detect unusual activity in your AWS accounts.
What is a Trail in AWS CloudTrail?
A trail is a configuration that enables delivery of events as log files to an Amazon S3 bucket.
Why is AWS CloudTrail Important?
AWS CloudTrail is important for a variety of reasons:
- Security Analysis: CloudTrail provides a history of AWS API calls for your account, including API calls made via the AWS Management Console, AWS SDKs, and third-party tools. This is an important resource in enabling security analysis, tracking changes to resources and troubleshooting operational issues.
- Compliance Aid: For regulated industries, CloudTrail can help meet requirements for auditing and compliance by providing a record of all activity in an AWS environment.
- Operational Troubleshooting: CloudTrail can aid in troubleshooting operational issues by revealing recent changes in your AWS resources.
How it Works?
AWS CloudTrail trails can be applied to all regions or specific regions. Once you create a trail, CloudTrail captures AWS Management Console actions and API calls. These events are delivered to an S3 bucket which you can access and analyse as needed.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Trail
Understanding the role and functions of AWS CloudTrail and specifically Trails is key to answering exam questions on this topic. Focus on the security, compliance and operational troubleshooting benefits offered by AWS CloudTrail. Be sure to understand the process of how trails capture events and where they are stored.
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