---
title: "CloudWatch template variables | Grafana documentation"
description: "Guide on using template variables in CloudWatch queries"
---

# 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

For an introduction to templating and template variables, refer to [Templating](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/) and [Add and manage variables](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/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`.

Expand table

| 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](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/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`.