Retrieve metric data (GetMetricData)

GetMetricData is the primary API for retrieving Classic metric data points programmatically. It supports batch queries, math expressions, and queries in a single call.

Basic usage

Retrieve a single metric:

aws cloudwatch get-metric-data \
  --metric-data-queries '[
    {
      "Id": "cpu",
      "MetricStat": {
        "Metric": {
          "Namespace": "AWS/EC2",
          "MetricName": "CPUUtilization",
          "Dimensions": [{"Name": "InstanceId", "Value": "i-1234567890abcdef0"}]
        },
        "Period": 300,
        "Stat": "Average"
      }
    }
  ]' \
  --start-time $(date -u -d '1 hour ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S) \
  --end-time $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S) \
  --output json

Batch queries

Retrieve multiple metrics in a single call (up to 500 queries):

aws cloudwatch get-metric-data \
  --metric-data-queries '[
    {"Id": "cpu", "MetricStat": {"Metric": {"Namespace": "AWS/EC2", "MetricName": "CPUUtilization", "Dimensions": [{"Name": "InstanceId", "Value": "i-abc"}]}, "Period": 300, "Stat": "Average"}},
    {"Id": "mem", "MetricStat": {"Metric": {"Namespace": "CWAgent", "MetricName": "mem_used_percent", "Dimensions": [{"Name": "InstanceId", "Value": "i-abc"}]}, "Period": 300, "Stat": "Average"}}
  ]' \
  --start-time 2024-01-01T00:00:00 \
  --end-time 2024-01-01T01:00:00

Math expressions

Combine metrics using arithmetic:

[
  {"Id": "rx", "MetricStat": {"Metric": {"Namespace": "AWS/EC2", "MetricName": "NetworkIn", "Dimensions": [{"Name": "InstanceId", "Value": "i-abc"}]}, "Period": 300, "Stat": "Sum"}},
  {"Id": "tx", "MetricStat": {"Metric": {"Namespace": "AWS/EC2", "MetricName": "NetworkOut", "Dimensions": [{"Name": "InstanceId", "Value": "i-abc"}]}, "Period": 300, "Stat": "Sum"}},
  {"Id": "total", "Expression": "rx + tx", "Label": "TotalNetwork"}
]

GetMetricData vs GetMetricStatistics

	GetMetricData	GetMetricStatistics
Batch support	Up to 500 queries per call	Single metric per call
Math expressions	Yes	No
queries	Yes	No
Pagination	Yes (NextToken)	No
Recommended	Yes — primary API	Legacy — use GetMetricData instead

Pricing

$0.01 per 1,000 metrics requested through GetMetricData.

Note

For OTel metrics, use the Prometheus-compatible query API or CloudWatch Query Studio with PromQL. GetMetricData does not query OTel metrics.