The Observability Challenge
AWS accounts generate thousands of API calls daily from users, applications, and automated processes. Without audit logging, determining who made changes, when they occurred, and what was affected becomes impossible.
This project provides foundational audit logging by deploying CloudTrail with comprehensive storage and monitoring capabilities, using CloudFormation for consistent deployment across environments.
Comprehensive Audit Infrastructure
Core Logging Components
- CloudTrail with configurable event capture for management and optional data events
- S3 bucket for audit log storage with versioning, encryption, and intelligent tiering
- CloudWatch Logs integration for real-time event streaming and alerting
- IAM roles with least privilege for CloudWatch Logs delivery
Cost Optimization Strategy
- S3 Intelligent Tiering automatically optimizes storage costs based on access patterns
- Lifecycle policies transition older logs to Glacier for long-term cost reduction
- Selective event capture options balance audit coverage against logging costs
- Configurable retention policies prevent indefinite log accumulation
Service Discovery Integration
- SSM Parameter Store publishes trail name, S3 bucket, and CloudWatch Logs identifiers
- Predictable parameter paths enable consuming projects to discover audit resources
- Consistent resource naming and tagging for operational visibility
Enterprise-Grade Governance
This isn’t just logging - it’s the foundation for enterprise governance and compliance. Every API call is captured, stored durably, and made available for analysis.
Security & Compliance
- Comprehensive API activity logging for security analysis and incident investigation
- Multi-region trail support captures events across all AWS regions automatically
- Encrypted storage with server-side encryption protects audit logs at rest
- Access controls restrict log access while enabling CloudTrail service delivery
Operational Excellence
- Infrastructure as Code with automated deployment and rollback capabilities
- Idempotent operations support multiple execution attempts without conflicts
- Resource drift detection through CloudFormation stack management
- Comprehensive documentation with troubleshooting and cost estimation guides
Real-Time Monitoring
- CloudWatch Logs streaming enables immediate alerting and analysis
- Event correlation across services using transaction IDs and metadata
- Configurable retention balances storage costs with compliance requirements
This foundation enables proactive security monitoring and compliance reporting that scales with organizational growth, providing the audit trail that enterprise environments require.
Repository: service-observability-cloudtrail