AWS CloudTrail vs AWS CloudWatch: A Beginner's Guide

If you've been working with AWS for a while, you've probably stumbled across AWS CloudTrail and AWS CloudWatch and thought, "What's the difference here?" Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in this confusion. These two services both deal with monitoring your AWS environment, but they're actually doing completely different jobs.

Let me walk you through what makes each service unique and help you figure out which one you need for your specific situation. Spoiler alert: you'll probably end up needing both, but understanding when to use each one will save you time and money.