--- aliases: - ../../data-sources/aws-cloudwatch/template-variables/ - template-queries-cloudwatch/ description: Guide on using template variables in CloudWatch queries keywords: - grafana - aws - cloudwatch - templates - variables labels: products: - cloud - enterprise - oss menuTitle: Template variables title: CloudWatch template variables weight: 300 refs: variable-syntax: - pattern: /docs/grafana/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/variable-syntax/ - pattern: /docs/grafana-cloud/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/variable-syntax/ add-template-variables: - pattern: /docs/grafana/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/add-template-variables/ - pattern: /docs/grafana-cloud/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/add-template-variables/ variables: - pattern: /docs/grafana/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/ - pattern: /docs/grafana-cloud/ destination: /docs/grafana/<GRAFANA_VERSION>/dashboards/variables/ --- # CloudWatch template variables Instead of hard-coding details such as server, application, and sensor names in metric queries, you can use variables. Grafana lists these variables in drop-down select boxes at the top of the dashboard to help you change the data displayed in your dashboard, and they are called template variables <!-- Grafana refers to such variables as template variables. --> For an introduction to templating and template variables, refer to [Templating](ref:variables) and [Add and manage variables](ref:add-template-variables). ## Use query variables You can specify these CloudWatch data source queries in the Variable edit view's **Query Type** field. Use them to fill a variable's options list with values like `regions`, `namespaces`, `metric names`, and `dimension keys/values`. | Name | List returned | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Regions** | All AWS regions. | | **Namespaces** | All namespaces CloudWatch supports. | | **Metrics** | Metrics in the namespace. (Specify region or use "default" for custom metrics.) | | **Dimension Keys** | Dimension keys in the namespace. | | **Dimension Values** | Dimension values matching the specified `region`, `namespace`, `metric`, and `dimension_key`. Use dimension `filters` for more specific results. | | **EBS Volume IDs** | Volume ids matching the specified `region` and `instance_id`. | | **EC2 Instance Attributes** | Attributes matching the specified `region`, `attribute_name`, and `filters`. | | **Resource ARNs** | ARNs matching the specified `region`, `resource_type`, and `tags`. | | **Statistics** | All standard statistics. | | **LogGroups** | All log groups matching the specified `region`. | For details on the available dimensions, refer to the [CloudWatch Metrics and Dimensions Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CW_Support_For_AWS.html). For details about the metrics CloudWatch provides, refer to the [CloudWatch documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/DeveloperGuide/CW_Support_For_AWS.html). ### Use variables in queries Use the Grafana variable syntax to include variables in queries. A query variable in dynamically retrieves values from your data source using a query. For details, refer to the [variable syntax documentation](ref:variable-syntax). ## Use ec2_instance_attribute The `ec2_instance_attribute` function in template variables allows Grafana to retrieve certain instance metadata from the EC2 metadata service, including `Instance ID` and `region`. ### Filters The `ec2_instance_attribute` query takes a `filters` parameter, where each key is a filter name (such as a tag or instance property), and each value is a comma-separated list of matching values. You can specify [pre-defined filters of ec2:DescribeInstances](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_DescribeInstances.html). ### Select attributes A query returns only one attribute per instance. You can select any attribute that has a single value and isn't an object or array, also known as a `flat attribute`: - `AmiLaunchIndex` - `Architecture` - `ClientToken` - `EbsOptimized` - `EnaSupport` - `Hypervisor` - `IamInstanceProfile` - `ImageId` - `InstanceId` - `InstanceLifecycle` - `InstanceType` - `KernelId` - `KeyName` - `LaunchTime` - `Platform` - `PrivateDnsName` - `PrivateIpAddress` - `PublicDnsName` - `PublicIpAddress` - `RamdiskId` - `RootDeviceName` - `RootDeviceType` - `SourceDestCheck` - `SpotInstanceRequestId` - `SriovNetSupport` - `SubnetId` - `VirtualizationType` - `VpcId` You can select tags by prepending the tag name with `Tags.`. For example, select the tag `Name` by using `Tags.Name`.