What is the AWS service used for monitoring resources and applications?

Amazon CloudWatch is the service designed specifically for monitoring AWS resources and applications. It provides a unified view of operational health by collecting and tracking metrics, collecting log files, and setting alarms. Users can utilize CloudWatch to monitor various resources like Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon RDS databases, and custom metrics, allowing them to gain insights into performance and operational efficiency.

CloudWatch enables users to automatically react to changes in their AWS resources through features such as alarms, which can trigger notifications or actions based on specified thresholds. This monitoring capability is crucial for maintaining application performance and ensuring that resources are utilized effectively.

In contrast, other options focus on different functionalities. For instance, Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network service that provides faster delivery of web content, while Amazon CloudTrail records AWS API calls for auditing purposes. Amazon Redshift is a data warehouse service used for big data analysis and does not focus on monitoring resources and applications.