**Quick Start:** This Splunk Observability Cloud tutorial shows you how to monitor EC2 instances step-by-step. Set up comprehensive monitoring for your AWS infrastructure in under 10 minutes.

Monitoring your EC2 instances is crucial for maintaining a healthy AWS infrastructure. In this Splunk Observability Cloud tutorial, I'll show you how to set up [Splunk Observability Cloud](https://www.splunk.com/en_us/products/observability-cloud.html) to monitor your EC2 instances effectively. Splunk Observability Cloud (formerly SignalFx) and [EC2]({{< ref learn-amazon-ec2>}} "Learn EC2") work together seamlessly to provide comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

## Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

1. An [EC2]({{< ref learn-amazon-ec2>}} "Learn EC2") instance running (Amazon provides [a free tier] for testing)
2. A [Splunk Observability Cloud](https://www.splunk.com/en_us/products/observability-cloud.html) account (you can start with a 14-day trial on [Splunk's trial page])

## Step-by-Step Setup

### 1. Access Splunk Observability Cloud Integration

First, log into your Splunk Observability Cloud account and navigate to the **INTEGRATIONS** menu.

{{< figure align="center" src="images/signalfx-setup.png" alt="Splunk Observability Cloud Setup" >}}

### 2. Configure Smart Agent

Click on the **SFx SMARTAGENT** icon, then select the **SETUP** tab. Follow the installation instructions provided.

### 3. View Infrastructure

Once configured, head to the **INFRASTRUCTURE** tab to see your monitored resources.

{{< figure align="center" src="images/signalfx-infrastructure.png" alt="Splunk Observability Cloud Infrastructure" >}}

### 4. Monitor EC2 Metrics

Click on any host to view detailed resource utilization metrics for your EC2 instance.

{{< figure align="center" src="images/signalfx-system-metrics.png" alt="Splunk Observability Cloud Metrics" >}}

## Next Steps

Now that you have Splunk Observability Cloud monitoring your EC2 instances, you can:

* Set up alerts for critical metrics
* Create custom dashboards
* Monitor application performance
* Track resource utilization

## Resources

* [Splunk Observability Cloud Documentation](https://www.splunk.com/en_us/products/observability-cloud.html)
* [EC2 Documentation]({{< ref learn-amazon-ec2>}} "Learn EC2")
* [AWS Free Tier](https://aws.amazon.com/free/)
* [Splunk Observability Cloud Trial](https://www.splunk.com/en_us/download/o11y-cloud-free-trial.html)

[Splunk's trial page]: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/download/o11y-cloud-free-trial.html
[a free tier]: https://aws.amazon.com/free/