--- title: "GET /#Action=GetMetricData" method: GET path: "/#Action=GetMetricData" --- # GET /#Action=GetMetricData `GET /#Action=GetMetricData` You can use the `GetMetricData` API to retrieve CloudWatch metric values. The operation can also include a CloudWatch Metrics Insights query, and one or more metric math functions. A `GetMetricData` operation that does not include a query can retrieve as many as 500 different metrics in a single request, with a total of as many as 100,800 data points. You can also optionally perform metric math expressions on the values of the returned statistics, to create new time series that represent new insights into your data. For example, using Lambda metrics, you could divide the Errors metric by the Invocations metric to get an error rate time series. For more information about metric math expressions, see [Metric Math Syntax and Functions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/using-metric-math.html#metric-math-syntax) in the _Amazon CloudWatch User Guide_. If you include a Metrics Insights query, each `GetMetricData` operation can include only one query. But the same `GetMetricData` operation can also retrieve other metrics. Metrics Insights queries can query only the most recent three hours of metric data. For more information about Metrics Insights, see [Query your metrics with CloudWatch Metrics Insights](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/query_with_cloudwatch-metrics-insights.html). Calls to the `GetMetricData` API have a different pricing structure than calls to `GetMetricStatistics`. For more information about pricing, see [Amazon CloudWatch Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/pricing/). Amazon CloudWatch retains metric data as follows: * Data points with a period of less than 60 seconds are available for 3 hours. These data points are high-resolution metrics and are available only for custom metrics that have been defined with a `StorageResolution` of 1. * Data points with a period of 60 seconds (1-minute) are available for 15 days. * Data points with a period of 300 seconds (5-minute) are available for 63 days. * Data points with a period of 3600 seconds (1 hour) are available for 455 days (15 months). Data points that are initially published with a shorter period are aggregated together for long-term storage. For example, if you collect data using a period of 1 minute, the data remains available for 15 days with 1-minute resolution. After 15 days, this data is still available, but is aggregated and retrievable only with a resolution of 5 minutes. After 63 days, the data is further aggregated and is available with a resolution of 1 hour. If you omit `Unit` in your request, all data that was collected with any unit is returned, along with the corresponding units that were specified when the data was reported to CloudWatch. If you specify a unit, the operation returns only data that was collected with that unit specified. If you specify a unit that does not match the data collected, the results of the operation are null. CloudWatch does not perform unit conversions. **Using Metrics Insights queries with metric math** You can't mix a Metric Insights query and metric math syntax in the same expression, but you can reference results from a Metrics Insights query within other Metric math expressions. A Metrics Insights query without a **GROUP BY** clause returns a single time-series (TS), and can be used as input for a metric math expression that expects a single time series. A Metrics Insights query with a **GROUP BY** clause returns an array of time-series (TS\[\]), and can be used as input for a metric math expression that expects an array of time series. ## Query parameters - `MetricDataQueries` MetricDataQuery[], required - `Id` string, required — A short name used to tie this object to the results in the response. This name must be unique within a single call to GetMetricData. If you are performing math expressions on this set of data, this name represents that data and can serve as a variable in the mathematical expression. The valid characters are letters, numbers, and underscore. The first character must be a lowercase letter. - `MetricStat` object —

The metric to be returned, along with statistics, period, and units. Use this parameter only if this object is retrieving a metric and not performing a math expression on returned data.

Within one MetricDataQuery object, you must specify either Expression or MetricStat but not both.

- `Metric` object, required — The metric to return, including the metric name, namespace, and dimensions. - `Namespace` string — The namespace of the metric. - `MetricName` string — The name of the metric. This is a required field. - `Dimensions` Dimension[] — The dimensions for the metric. - `Name` string, required — The name of the dimension. Dimension names must contain only ASCII characters, must include at least one non-whitespace character, and cannot start with a colon (:). ASCII control characters are not supported as part of dimension names. - `Value` string, required — The value of the dimension. Dimension values must contain only ASCII characters and must include at least one non-whitespace character. ASCII control characters are not supported as part of dimension values. - `Period` integer, required —

The granularity, in seconds, of the returned data points. For metrics with regular resolution, a period can be as short as one minute (60 seconds) and must be a multiple of 60. For high-resolution metrics that are collected at intervals of less than one minute, the period can be 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, or any multiple of 60. High-resolution metrics are those metrics stored by a PutMetricData call that includes a StorageResolution of 1 second.

If the StartTime parameter specifies a time stamp that is greater than 3 hours ago, you must specify the period as follows or no data points in that time range is returned:

- `Stat` string, required — The statistic to return. It can include any CloudWatch statistic or extended statistic. - `Unit` 'Seconds' | 'Microseconds' | 'Milliseconds' | 'Bytes' | 'Kilobytes' | 'Megabytes' | 'Gigabytes' | 'Terabytes' | 'Bits' | 'Kilobits' | 'Megabits' | 'Gigabits' | 'Terabits' | 'Percent' | 'Count' | 'Bytes/Second' | 'Kilobytes/Second' | 'Megabytes/Second' | 'Gigabytes/Second' | 'Terabytes/Second' | 'Bits/Second' | 'Kilobits/Second' | 'Megabits/Second' | 'Gigabits/Second' | 'Terabits/Second' | 'Count/Second' | 'None' —

When you are using a Put operation, this defines what unit you want to use when storing the metric.

In a Get operation, if you omit Unit then all data that was collected with any unit is returned, along with the corresponding units that were specified when the data was reported to CloudWatch. If you specify a unit, the operation returns only data that was collected with that unit specified. If you specify a unit that does not match the data collected, the results of the operation are null. CloudWatch does not perform unit conversions.

- `Expression` string —

This field can contain either a Metrics Insights query, or a metric math expression to be performed on the returned data. For more information about Metrics Insights queries, see Metrics Insights query components and syntax in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide.

A math expression can use the Id of the other metrics or queries to refer to those metrics, and can also use the Id of other expressions to use the result of those expressions. For more information about metric math expressions, see Metric Math Syntax and Functions in the Amazon CloudWatch User Guide.

Within each MetricDataQuery object, you must specify either Expression or MetricStat but not both.

- `Label` string —

A human-readable label for this metric or expression. This is especially useful if this is an expression, so that you know what the value represents. If the metric or expression is shown in a CloudWatch dashboard widget, the label is shown. If Label is omitted, CloudWatch generates a default.

You can put dynamic expressions into a label, so that it is more descriptive. For more information, see Using Dynamic Labels.

- `ReturnData` boolean —

When used in GetMetricData, this option indicates whether to return the timestamps and raw data values of this metric. If you are performing this call just to do math expressions and do not also need the raw data returned, you can specify false. If you omit this, the default of true is used.

When used in PutMetricAlarm, specify true for the one expression result to use as the alarm. For all other metrics and expressions in the same PutMetricAlarm operation, specify ReturnData as False.

- `Period` integer — The granularity, in seconds, of the returned data points. For metrics with regular resolution, a period can be as short as one minute (60 seconds) and must be a multiple of 60. For high-resolution metrics that are collected at intervals of less than one minute, the period can be 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, or any multiple of 60. High-resolution metrics are those metrics stored by a PutMetricData operation that includes a StorageResolution of 1 second. - `AccountId` string —

The ID of the account where the metrics are located.

If you are performing a GetMetricData operation in a monitoring account, use this to specify which account to retrieve this metric from.

If you are performing a PutMetricAlarm operation, use this to specify which account contains the metric that the alarm is watching.

- `StartTime` string, date-time, required - `EndTime` string, date-time, required - `NextToken` string - `ScanBy` 'TimestampDescending' | 'TimestampAscending' - `MaxDatapoints` integer - `LabelOptions` object —

This structure includes the Timezone parameter, which you can use to specify your time zone so that the labels that are associated with returned metrics display the correct time for your time zone.

The Timezone value affects a label only if you have a time-based dynamic expression in the label. For more information about dynamic expressions in labels, see Using Dynamic Labels.

- `Timezone` string — The time zone to use for metric data return in this operation. The format is + or - followed by four digits. The first two digits indicate the number of hours ahead or behind of UTC, and the final two digits are the number of minutes. For example, +0130 indicates a time zone that is 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of UTC. The default is +0000. - `Action` 'GetMetricData', required - `Version` '2010-08-01', required ## Response `200` Success ## Other responses - `480` — InvalidNextToken --- [API](https://skmtc.net/aws/apis/monitoring.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.net/aws/apis/monitoring/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-staging.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/aws/monitoring/versions/40e3ac7bae8a/schema)