Supported Events Enabling Auditing Disabling Auditing Accessing Your Audit Events

Auditing Amazon DocumentDB Events

With Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility), you can audit events that were performed in your cluster. Examples of logged events include successful and failed authentication attempts, dropping a collection in a database, or creating an index. By default, auditing is disabled on Amazon DocumentDB and requires that you opt in to use this feature.

When auditing is enabled, Amazon DocumentDB records Data Definition Language (DDL), Data Manipulation Language (DML), authentication, authorization, and user management events to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. When auditing is enabled, Amazon DocumentDB exports your cluster’s auditing records (JSON documents) to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. You can use Amazon CloudWatch Logs to analyze, monitor, and archive your Amazon DocumentDB auditing events.

Although Amazon DocumentDB does not charge an additional cost to enable auditing, you are charged standard rates for the usage of CloudWatch Logs. For information about CloudWatch Logs pricing, see Amazon CloudWatch pricing.

The Amazon DocumentDB auditing feature is distinctly different from the service resource usage that is monitored with AWS CloudTrail. CloudTrail records operations that are performed with the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) or AWS Management Console on resources like clusters, instances, parameter groups, and snapshots. Auditing of AWS resources with CloudTrail is on by default and cannot be disabled. The Amazon DocumentDB auditing feature is an opt-in feature. It records operations that take place within your cluster on objects, such as databases, collections, indexes, and users.

Supported Events

Amazon DocumentDB auditing supports the following event categories:

Data Definition Language (DDL) - includes database management operations, connections, user management, and authorization.
Data Manipulation Language read events (DML reads) - includes find() and the various aggregation operators, arithmetic operators, boolean operators, and other read query operators.
Data Manipulation Language write events (DML writes) - includes insert(), update(), delete(), and bulkWrite() operators

The event types are as follows.

Event Type	Category	Description
`authCheck`	Authorization	Result code 0: Success
`authCheck`	Authorization	Result code 13: Unauthorized attempts to perform an operation.
`authenticate`	Connection	Successful or failed authentication attempts on a new connection.
`createDatabase`	DDL	Creation of a new database.
`createCollection`	DDL	Creation of a new collection within a database.
`createIndex`	DDL	Creation of a new index within a collection.
`dropCollection`	DDL	Dropping of a collection within a database.
`dropDatabase`	DDL	Dropping of a database.
`dropIndex`	DDL	Dropping of an index within a collection.
`modifyChangeStreams`	DDL	Change stream was created.
`renameCollection`	DDL	Renaming of a collection within a database.
`createRole`	Role Management	Creating a role.
`dropAllRolesFromDatabase`	Role Management	Dropping all roles within a database.
`dropRole`	Role Management	Dropping a role.
`grantPrivilegesToRole`	Role Management	Granting privileges to a role.
`grantRolesToRole`	Role Management	Granting roles to a user-defined role.
`revokePrivilegesFromRole`	Role Management	Revoking privileges from a role.
`revokeRolesFromRole`	Role Management	Revoking roles from a user-defined role.
`updateRole`	Role Management	Updating a role.
`createUser`	User Management	Creation of a new user.
`dropAllUsersFromDatabase`	User Management	Dropping of all users within a database.
`dropUser`	User Management	Dropping of an existing user.
`grantRolesToUser`	User Management	Granting roles to a user.
`revokeRolesFromUser`	User Management	Revoking roles from a user.
`updateUser`	UserManagement	Updating of an existing user.
`insert`	DML write	Inserts a document or documents into a collection.
`delete`	DML write	Deletes a document or documents from a collection.
`update`	DML write	Modifies an existing document or documents in a collection.
`bulkWrite`	DML write	Performs multiple write operations with controls for order of execution.
`count`	DML read	Returns the count of documents that would match a find() query for the collection or view.
`countDocuments`	DML read	Returns the count of documents that match the query for a collection or view.
`find`	DML read	Selects documents in a collection or view and returns a cursor to the selected documents.
`findAndModify`	DML read and DML write	Modifies and returns a single document.
`findOneAndDelete`	DML read and DML write	Deletes a single document based on the filter and sort criteria, returning the deleted document.
`findOneAndReplace`	DML read and DML write	Replaces a single document based on the specified filter.
`findOneAndUpdate`	DML read and DML write	Updates a single document based on the filter and sort criteria.
`aggregate`	DML read and DML write	Supports APIs in the aggregation pipeline.
`distinct`	DML read	Finds the distinct values for a specified field across a single collection or view and returns the results in an array.

Note

Values in the DML event document parameter field have a 1KB size limit. Amazon DocumentDB truncates the value if it exceeds 1KB.

Note

TTL delete events are not audited at this time.

Enabling Auditing

Enabling auditing on a cluster is a two-step process. Ensure that both steps are completed, or audit logs will not be sent to CloudWatch Logs.

Step 1. Enable the audit_logs cluster parameter

To enable auditing, you need to modify the audit_logs parameter in the parameter group. audit_logs is a comma-delimited list of events to log. Events must be specified in lowercase and there should be no white space between the list elements.

You can set the following values for the parameter group:

Value	Description
`ddl`	Setting this will enable auditing for DDL events such as createDatabase, dropDatabase, createCollection, dropCollection, createIndex, dropIndex, authCheck, authenticate, createUser, dropUser, grantRolesToUser, revokeRolesFromUser, updateUser, and dropAllUsersFromDatabase
`dml_read`	Setting this will enable auditng for DML read events such as find, sort count, distinct, group, projecta, unwind, geoNear, geoIntersects, geoWithin and other MongoDB read query operators.
`dml_write`	Setting this will enable auditing for DML write events such as insert(), update(), delete(), and bulkWrite()
`all`	Setting this will enable auditing for your database events, such as read queries, write queries, database actions and administrator actions.
`none`	Setting this will disable auditing
`enabled` (legacy)	This is a legacy parameter setting that is equivalent to 'ddl'. Setting this will enable auditing for DDL events such as createDatabase, dropDatabase, createCollection, dropCollection, createIndex, dropIndex, authCheck, authenticate, createUser, dropUser, grantRolesToUser, revokeRolesFromUser, updateUser, and dropAllUsersFromDatabase. We do not recommend using this setting because it is a legacy setting.
`disabled` (legacy)	This is a legacy parameter setting that is equivalent to 'none'. We do not recommend using this setting because it is a legacy setting.

Note

The default value for the audit_logs cluster parameter is none (legacy "disabled").

You can also use the above mentioned values in combinations.

Value	Description
`ddl, dml_read`	Setting this will enable auding for DDL events and DML read events.
`ddl, dml_write`	Setting this will enable auding for DDL events and DML write
`dml_read, dml_write`	Setting this will enable auditing for all DML events

Note

You cannot modify a default parameter group.

For more information, see the following:

Creating Amazon DocumentDB cluster parameter groups

After creating a custom parameter group, modify it by changing the audit_logs parameter value to enabled.
Modifying Amazon DocumentDB cluster parameter groups

Step 2. Enable Amazon CloudWatch Logs Export

When the value of the audit_logs cluster parameter is enabled, ddl, dml_read, or dml_write, you must also enable Amazon DocumentDB to export logs to Amazon CloudWatch. If you omit either of these steps, audit logs will not be sent to CloudWatch.

When creating a cluster, performing a point-in-time-restore, or restoring a snapshot, you can enable CloudWatch Logs by following these steps.

Using the AWS Management Console

To enable Amazon DocumentDB exporting logs to CloudWatch using the console, see the following topics:

When creating a cluster — In Creating a cluster and primary instance using the AWS Management Console, see Create a Cluster: Additional Configurations (step 5, Log exports)
When modifying an existing cluster — Modifying an Amazon DocumentDB cluster
When performing a cluster snapshot restore — Restoring from a Cluster Snapshot
When performing a point-in-time restore — Restoring to a Point in Time

Using the AWS CLI

To enable audit logs when creating a new cluster

The following code creates the cluster sample-cluster and enables CloudWatch audit logs.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:


aws docdb create-db-cluster \
    --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster \
    --port 27017 \
    --engine docdb \
    --master-username master-username \
    --master-user-password password \
    --db-subnet-group-name default \
    --enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports audit

For Windows:


aws docdb create-db-cluster ^
    --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster ^
    --port 27017 ^
    --engine docdb ^
    --master-username master-username ^
    --master-user-password password ^
    --db-subnet-group-name default ^
    --enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports audit

To enable audit logs when modifying an existing cluster

The following code modifies the cluster sample-cluster and enables CloudWatch audit logs.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:


aws docdb modify-db-cluster \
   --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster \
   --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"EnableLogTypes":["audit"]}'

For Windows:


aws docdb modify-db-cluster ^
   --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster ^
   --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"EnableLogTypes":["audit"]}'

Output from these operations looks something like the following (JSON format).


{
    "DBCluster": {
        "HostedZoneId": "ZNKXH85TT8WVW",
        "StorageEncrypted": false,
        "DBClusterParameterGroup": "default.docdb4.0",
        "MasterUsername": "<user-name>",
        "BackupRetentionPeriod": 1,
        "Port": 27017,
        "VpcSecurityGroups": [
            {
                "Status": "active",
                "VpcSecurityGroupId": "sg-77186e0d"
            }
        ],
        "DBClusterArn": "arn:aws:rds:us-east-1:900083794985:cluster:sample-cluster",
        "Status": "creating",
        "Engine": "docdb",
        "EngineVersion": "4.0.0",
        "MultiAZ": false,
        "AvailabilityZones": [
            "us-east-1a",
            "us-east-1c",
            "us-east-1f"
        ],
        "DBSubnetGroup": "default",
        "DBClusterMembers": [],
        "ReaderEndpoint": "sample-cluster.cluster-ro-corcjozrlsfc.us-east-1.docdb.amazonaws.com",
        "EnabledCloudwatchLogsExports": [
            "audit"
        ],
        "PreferredMaintenanceWindow": "wed:03:08-wed:03:38",
        "AssociatedRoles": [],
        "ClusterCreateTime": "2019-02-13T16:35:04.756Z",
        "DbClusterResourceId": "cluster-YOS52CUXGDTNKDQ7DH72I4LED4",
        "Endpoint": "sample-cluster.cluster-corcjozrlsfc.us-east-1.docdb.amazonaws.com",
        "PreferredBackupWindow": "07:16-07:46",
        "DBClusterIdentifier": "sample-cluster"
    }
}

Disabling Auditing

You can disable auditing by disabling CloudWatch Logs export and disabling the audit_logs parameter.

Disabling CloudWatch Logs Export

You can disable exporting audit logs using either the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI.

Using the AWS Management Console

The following procedure uses the AWS Management Console to disable Amazon DocumentDB exporting logs to CloudWatch.

To disable audit logs

Sign in to the AWS Management Console, and open the Amazon DocumentDB console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/docdb.
In the navigation pane, choose Clusters. Then choose the button to the left of the name of the cluster for which you want to disable exporting logs.
Choose Actions, and then choose Modify.
Scroll down to the Log exports section and choose Disabled.
Choose Continue.
Review your changes, and then choose when you want this change applied to your cluster.
- Apply during the next scheduled maintenance window
- Apply immediately
Choose Modify cluster.

Using the AWS CLI

The following code modifies the cluster sample-cluster and disables CloudWatch audit logs.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:


aws docdb modify-db-cluster \
   --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster \
   --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"DisableLogTypes":["audit"]}'

For Windows:


aws docdb modify-db-cluster ^
   --db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster ^
   --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"DisableLogTypes":["audit"]}'

Output from this operation looks something like the following (JSON format).


{
    "DBCluster": {
        "DBClusterParameterGroup": "default.docdb4.0",
        "HostedZoneId": "ZNKXH85TT8WVW",
        "MasterUsername": "<user-name>",
        "Status": "available",
        "Engine": "docdb",
        "Port": 27017,
        "AvailabilityZones": [
            "us-east-1a",
            "us-east-1c",
            "us-east-1f"
        ],
        "EarliestRestorableTime": "2019-02-13T16:35:50.387Z",
        "DBSubnetGroup": "default",
        "LatestRestorableTime": "2019-02-13T16:35:50.387Z",
        "DBClusterArn": "arn:aws:rds:us-east-1:900083794985:cluster:sample-cluster2",
        "Endpoint": "sample-cluster2.cluster-corcjozrlsfc.us-east-1.docdb.amazonaws.com",
        "ReaderEndpoint": "sample-cluster2.cluster-ro-corcjozrlsfc.us-east-1.docdb.amazonaws.com",
        "BackupRetentionPeriod": 1,
        "EngineVersion": "4.0.0",
        "MultiAZ": false,
        "ClusterCreateTime": "2019-02-13T16:35:04.756Z",
        "DBClusterIdentifier": "sample-cluster2",
        "AssociatedRoles": [],
        "PreferredBackupWindow": "07:16-07:46",
        "DbClusterResourceId": "cluster-YOS52CUXGDTNKDQ7DH72I4LED4",
        "StorageEncrypted": false,
        "PreferredMaintenanceWindow": "wed:03:08-wed:03:38",
        "DBClusterMembers": [],
        "VpcSecurityGroups": [
            {
                "Status": "active",
                "VpcSecurityGroupId": "sg-77186e0d"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Disabling the audit_logs Parameter

To disable the audit_logs parameter for your cluster, you can modify the cluster so that it uses a parameter group where the audit_logs parameter value is disabled. Or you can modify the audit_logs parameter value in the cluster's parameter group so that it is disabled.

For more information, see the following topics:

Accessing Your Audit Events

Use following steps to access your audit events on Amazon CloudWatch.

Open the CloudWatch console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/.
Make sure that you are in the same Region as your Amazon DocumentDB cluster.
In the navigation pane, choose Logs.
To find the audit logs for your cluster, from the list locate and choose /aws/docdb/yourClusterName/audit.

The auditing events for each of your instances are available under each of the respective instance names.

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