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In this guide, you’ll learn how to create, configure, and manage Synthetic Canaries in AWS CloudWatch Synthetics to continuously monitor your website’s availability and performance.

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1. Accessing Synthetic Canaries

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
  2. Navigate to CloudWatch under Services.
  3. In the left pane, select Synthetics > Canaries.
  4. Click Create Canary.
The image shows an AWS console interface for creating synthetic canaries, with options for different monitoring blueprints like heartbeat monitoring and API canary. There's also a section for configuring the canary builder with a name and endpoint URL.
CloudWatch provides several built-in blueprints:
Blueprint TypePurposeExample Use Case
Heartbeat monitoringSimple URL availability checkVerifying your landing page uptime
API canaryREST API endpoint validationMonitoring backend API performance
Visual monitoringBrowser-based UI element testsChecking login page elements
Custom scriptUpload your own Node.js scriptComplex workflows or multi-step flows
For this demo, we’ll select the Heartbeat monitoring blueprint.

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2. Configuring the Canary

  1. Under Select blueprint, choose Heartbeat monitoring.
  2. Enter Name: KodeKloud-monitoring.
  3. Provide the Endpoint URL, e.g., https://www.kodekloud.com.
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch console screen where a user is setting up a Canary for monitoring, with options to add an endpoint URL and take screenshots.
Below the setup, you can review and customize the default script, configure VPC settings, tags, and tracing options.

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3. Scheduling Executions

Select a run schedule:
  • Run continuously (minimum 1-minute interval)
  • Run on schedule (CRON expression)
  • Run once
For this tutorial, choose Run continuously and set the frequency to 1 minute.
Running a canary every minute can increase AWS charges. Adjust the interval to balance cost and monitoring needs.
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch console screen, specifically the Synthetics Canaries section, where a schedule for running a canary is being configured. Options include running continuously, using a CRON expression, or running once, with a frequency setting of every 5 minutes.
Scroll down and click Create Canary. Deployment takes about 5–10 minutes.
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch console screen where a user is configuring settings for a synthetic canary, including optional CloudWatch alarms, VPC settings, tags, and active tracing.

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4. Monitoring Canary Metrics

After the canary is active, return to the Synthetics dashboard to view:
  • A pie chart of passed vs. failed runs
  • Average runtime, status, and success rate
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch dashboard for Synthetics Canaries, displaying the status of canary tests with a pie chart indicating one passed test and no failures. It also lists details of a specific canary named "kodekloud-monitoring" with a 100% success rate.
Click your canary’s name to access the Runs view:
  • Steps Executed: Each scripted step (e.g., open URL)
  • Screenshots: Page captures at each step
  • Logs: Console output from the script
  • HAR file: HTTP archive for detailed analysis
  • Execution info: Timestamps, duration, runtime environment
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch dashboard displaying Canary runs with a graph indicating successful and failed checks. The "Steps Executed" section shows one step with a "Passed" status.
This insight ensures uptime, measures performance, and validates essential user paths.

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5. Pausing and Stopping a Canary

To stop a running canary:
  1. In the Synthetics console, select your canary.
  2. Click Actions > Stop.
  3. Confirm the stop operation.
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch dashboard for "kodekloud-monitoring," indicating a successful stop of a canary with no issues in the last 24 hours and a 100% success rate in the last 7 days.

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6. Organizing Canaries into Groups

Group related canaries (up to 10 per group) for streamlined management:
  1. Navigate to Synthetics > Canary groups.
  2. Click Create group, specify a name, and add existing canaries.

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7. Building a GUI Workflow Canary

For advanced end-to-end testing:
  1. Click Create Canary.
  2. Choose a Visual monitoring or Browser-based blueprint.
  3. Use the Inline editor or Import from S3 for custom Node.js scripts.
The image shows the AWS CloudWatch console interface for creating a canary, with options to use a blueprint, inline editor, or import from S3, and various blueprint options like heartbeat monitoring and API canary.
A GUI workflow canary can:
  • Validate login flows
  • Measure form submission times
  • Navigate menus and verify element visibility
Automate these tests at regular intervals to detect performance regressions and trigger alerts.

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8. Deleting a Canary

When a canary is no longer needed:
  1. Select it in the Synthetics console.
  2. Choose Actions > Delete.
  3. Optionally remove its IAM role.
If deletion fails, ensure the canary is stopped before retrying.
The image shows an AWS CloudWatch interface where a canary named "kodekloud-monitoring" has been successfully deleted, along with its associated resources. The interface includes options for managing alarms, logs, metrics, and application monitoring.
Deleting a canary cleans up its CloudWatch alarms, logs, metrics, and IAM resources.

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