Docs » Connect to your cloud service provider » Connect AWS to Splunk Observability Cloud » Compare AWS connection options

Compare AWS connection options 🔗

Compare the different available options to connect Splunk Observability Cloud with AWS:

Connection option

Sample use cases

Advantages

Disadvantages

Polling (default)

  1. Your metrics are not time-sensitive, and delays are acceptable

  2. You need to use tag filtering and/or poll rate to manage cost

  • Easiest method to set up

  • Highest granularity to manage cost through tag filtering or by prolonging polling intervals

  • Applies to selected AWS regions under the AWS account

  • Metrics might be delayed since they’re are polled at intervals

  • If polling intervals are short, this method might be more expensive

Streaming (Splunk-managed)

  1. You’re looking for real-time metrics

  2. You need to sync metrics from multiple AWS regions

  • Access metrics faster and at scale through Kinese Data Firehose streams

  • Less expensive than polling when you need close to real-time metrics

  • Manage stream filters in Splunk

  • Applies to all AWS regions under the AWS account

  • Harder to manage costs due to lack of tag filtering and control of streaming input

  • You need to deploy CloudFormation templates

Streaming (AWS-managed)

You’re looking for real-time metrics

  • Access metrics faster and at scale through Kinese Data Firehose streams

  • Less expensive than polling when you need close to real-time metrics

  • Direct control over the metric stream set-up

  • Harder to manage costs due to lack of tag filtering and control of streaming input

  • You need create metric streams through the CloudWatch console for each AWS region

This page was last updated on Oct 26, 2023.