Amazon ECS Explorer

Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) is a fully managed container orchestration service that helps you easily deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications. As a fully managed service, Amazon ECS comes with AWS configuration and operational best practices built in.

It's integrated with both AWS tools, such as Amazon Elastic Container Registry, and third-party tools, such as Docker. This integration makes it easier for teams to focus on building applications rather than managing the environment. You can run and scale your container workloads across AWS Regions in the cloud and on-premises, without the complexity of managing a control plane.

Prerequisite

The ECS section, located inside the Infrastructure section, provides visibility into Amazon Elastic Container Service workloads by organizing ECS resources into five logical areas:

  • Tasks: Shows running instances created from ECS task definitions. This view is useful when you want to understand what is currently running and how tasks are behaving at runtime.
  • Tasks Definitions: Shows the configuration used to create ECS tasks. It includes container definitions, resource limits, networking settings, environment variables, and IAM roles.
  • Service: It focuses on ECS services that manage long-running workloads. Services ensure that a specified number of tasks remain running and replace tasks when failures occur.
  • Containers: It provides container-level visibility for workloads running inside ECS tasks. It shows container status, resource usage, image details, and logs.
  • Clusters: It shows ECS clusters that provide compute capacity for tasks and services. It helps you understand overall cluster health and how workloads are distributed.

Each section focuses on a specific ECS resource and helps you understand runtime behaviour, configuration, logs, and application performance in a single workflow.

Tasks

The Tasks section helps you monitor running ECS tasks and investigate task-level behaviour. From this view, you can quickly identify active tasks, review resource usage, and open a task to see configuration, containers, logs, and related resources.

Tasks list

The Tasks list shows all tasks detected in your ECS environment for the selected time range.

ECS Taks List

Each row represents a task. Common columns include:

  • Task ID: The task identifier
  • Cluster Name: The ECS cluster where the task is running
  • Definition: The task definition family name
  • Version: The task definition revision used by the task
  • Status: Current task state, for example, RUNNING
  • Launch Type: The launch type, for example, Fargate
  • CPU Utilization: CPU usage is shown for the task
  • Memory Utilization: Memory usage is shown for the task
  • Age: How long ago the task started or was observed

Tasks Info

The Tasks Info tab provides a summary view of the selected task, along with key metrics and context.

ECS Taks List

At the top, Middleware shows quick links to related ECS entities:

  • Task Definition
  • Service
  • Cluster

These help you switch context without leaving the task view.

Task information

The task information section includes runtime metadata, such as:

  • Host ID
  • Task ARN
  • Launch type
  • CPU reserved
  • Memory reserved
  • CPU cores

Performance charts

This tab includes task-level charts that help you review behaviour over time, such as:

  • CPU usage
  • Memory usage
  • Network rate
  • Network error rate
  • Storage IO

Use these charts to confirm whether the task is stable or experiencing spikes during the selected time range.

Task Definition

ECS Taks List

The Task Definition tab shows the configuration used to create the selected task and it shows:

  • A YAML view of the task definition configuration, including container definitions and runtime settings
  • A tags panel on the right that helps you browse and jump to specific sections

From here, you can:

  • View Version lets you open a different version of the task definition
  • Compare Version helps you review changes between versions
  • The timestamp selector lets you view the configuration captured at a specific point in time
  • The download option lets you export the configuration

This tab is useful when you need to connect runtime behaviour back to configuration, such as CPU and memory settings, image changes, or environment variables.

Containers

The Containers tab lists all containers running inside the selected task.

ECS Containers

Here, each row represents a container running under the task. Common columns include:

  • Container ID
  • Task ID
  • Memory utilization
  • CPU utilization
  • Status
  • container.name

Click a container to open container-level details. This view contains two tabs: Container info and Logs.

Container Info

ECS Containers Info

The Container Info tab provides a container-level summary and charts.

Summary tiles:

  • Status
  • CPU
  • Memory

Container information: This section includes metadata such as:

  • Host
  • OS
  • Image name
  • Image tag

Performance charts: The charts help you validate container behaviour over time, including:

  • CPU usage
  • Memory usage
  • Network IO in bytes
  • Network IO in packets
  • Network rate
  • Storage IO

Use this view when a task is healthy, but one container is consuming more resources or behaving unexpectedly.

Container Logs

ECS Containers Logs

The Logs tab under a container shows logs for the selected container and shows you the following:

  • A log trend chart for the selected time range
  • A log table with common fields like timestamp, log type, and message

Use this view for fine-grained debugging when you already know which container is involved.

Logs

ECS Containers Logs

The Logs tab on the task provides aggregated logs for all containers within the task and shows you:

  • Source log trend chart for log volume over time
  • Total log count and level breakdown
  • A log table with fields such as Date, Type, Namespace, and Message
  • A Columns control to adjust visible fields

Use this view when the issue is task-scoped, and you want a combined log stream for the entire task.

The Related Resources tab shows a relationship graph for the selected task.

ECS Related Resource

A visual view of linked ECS entities, typically including:

  • ECS Cluster
  • ECS Task Definition
  • ECS Service
  • ECS Task

Use this view to understand how the task fits into the broader ECS structure and to quickly jump to the parent service, task definition, or cluster.

Tasks Definitions

The Tasks Definitions section provides visibility into ECS task definition configurations and how they are used by running tasks. This view helps you understand how workloads are defined and how configuration changes relate to runtime behaviour.

A task definition acts as the blueprint for ECS tasks. It defines container images, resource limits, networking settings, environment variables, and runtime permissions.

Tasks Definitions list

The Tasks Definitions list shows all task definitions detected in your ECS environment for the selected time range.

ECS Task Definition

Here, each row represents a task definition family and revision. Common columns include:

  • Definition: Task definition family name
  • Version: Task definition revision
  • Status: Current status of tasks created from this definition
  • Containers: Container names defined in the task definition
  • Launch Type: Launch type used by tasks created from this definition
  • CPU Utilization: Aggregated CPU usage across related tasks
  • Memory Utilization: Aggregated memory usage across related tasks
  • Age: Time since the task definition was observed

Tasks Info

The Tasks Info tab provides a summary of the selected task definition and high-level configuration details.

ECS Task INfo

This section displays:

  • Task Definition name
  • Version
  • Cluster

These values help you confirm where the task definition is actively used.

Task definition information The information panel includes:

  • Memory reserved
  • CPU reserved
  • Launch type
  • CPU cores
  • Task ARN

This view is useful when validating resource configuration before investigating runtime issues.

Containers

The Containers tab lists all containers defined in the selected task definition.

ECS Task Containers

Each row represents a container defined in the task definition. Common columns include:

  • Container ID
  • Task ID
  • Memory utilization
  • CPU utilization
  • Status
  • container.name

This view helps you confirm container composition and resource behaviour across tasks created from the same definition.

Container drilldowns behave the same way as in the Tasks page and provide container-level metrics and logs.

The Related Tasks tab lists all ECS tasks created from the selected task definition.

ECS Task Containers

This table is identical in structure and behaviour to the Tasks list view. It includes:

  • Task ID
  • Cluster name
  • Definition
  • Version
  • Status
  • Launch type
  • CPU utilization
  • Memory utilization
  • Age

Clicking a task opens the task details view, which behaves exactly the same as the Tasks page described earlier:

ECS Task Containers

Use this view to compare how different tasks created from the same definition behave at runtime.

Logs

The Logs tab shows aggregated logs from all tasks created using the selected task definition.

ECS Task Containers
  • A source log trend showing log volume over time
  • Total log count and level breakdown
  • A log table with fields such as Date, Type, Namespace, and Message
  • A Columns control to adjust visible fields

This view is useful when validating deployments or investigating issues that affect all tasks created from a specific definition.

Task Definition

The Task Definition tab displays the full task definition configuration and shows you the following:

  • A YAML view of the task definition
  • A tags panel that helps navigate configuration sections

With task definitions, you can perform the following actions:

  • View Version allows you to switch between task definition revisions
  • Compare Version helps review changes between versions
  • The timestamp selector allows viewing the configuration captured at a specific time
  • The download option allows exporting the task definition

This tab is commonly used during deployment reviews or when correlating configuration changes with runtime behaviour.

APM Services

The APM Services tab shows application services associated with tasks created from this task definition.

This view helps correlate task definition level changes with application performance and traces.

The Related Resources tab shows a relationship graph for the selected task definition.

ECS Task Containers

The graph typically includes:

  • ECS Cluster
  • ECS Task Definition
  • ECS Service
  • ECS Tasks

This view helps you understand how the task definition fits into the broader ECS structure and allows quick navigation to related services, tasks, and clusters.

Great, this fits very cleanly into the flow you have built so far. Below is the Service documentation written to match the Tasks and Tasks Definitions sections exactly.

It follows all your guidelines:

  • Simplified, descriptive, professional tone
  • No em dashes
  • No semicolons
  • Consistent wording and structure
  • Explicit callout where behaviour is the same as earlier pages
  • Aligned to the screenshots you shared in sequence

Service

The Service section provides visibility into ECS services that manage long-running workloads. This view helps you understand service level stability, task management behaviour, resource usage, logs, and application performance.

An ECS service ensures that a specified number of tasks remain running. If a task stops or fails, the service replaces it automatically based on the configured task definition.

Service List

The Service list shows all ECS services detected in your environment for the selected time range.

ECS Services

Here, each row represents an ECS service. Common columns include:

  • Service Name: Name of the ECS service
  • Cluster: ECS cluster where the service is running
  • Definition: Task definition used by the service
  • Status: Current service state
  • CPU Utilization: Aggregated CPU usage across tasks managed by the service
  • Memory Utilization: Aggregated memory usage across tasks
  • Age: Time since the service was observed

Click a service name to open the service details view.

Service Info

The Service Info tab provides a high-level overview of the selected ECS service.

ECS Services Info

This section displays:

  • Task Definition used by the service
  • Launch Type
  • Cluster

These values help you confirm how and where the service is running.

On the other hand, there is a performance tab which includes service level charts, such as:

  • CPU usage
  • Memory usage

These charts reflect aggregated behaviour across all tasks managed by the service and help identify sustained load or abnormal patterns.

The Related Tasks tab lists all ECS tasks currently managed by the selected service.

ECS Services Related Tasks

This table is identical in structure and behaviour to the Tasks list view and includes:

  • Task ID
  • Cluster name
  • Definition
  • Version
  • Status
  • Launch type
  • CPU utilization
  • Memory utilization
  • Age

Clicking a task opens the same task details view described in the Tasks section earlier.

ECS Services Related Tasks

All tabs and behaviour remain unchanged, including:

  • Tasks Info
  • Task Definition
  • Containers
  • Logs
  • APM Services
  • Related Resources

This consistency allows you to move from service level context directly into task level investigation without learning a new workflow.

Logs

The Logs tab shows aggregated logs from all tasks running under the selected service.

ECS Services Related Tasks

It shows:

  • A source log trend chart showing log volume over time
  • Total log count with level breakdown
  • A logs table with fields such as Date, Type, Namespace, and Message
  • A Columns option to adjust visible fields

This view is useful when diagnosing issues that affect the service as a whole rather than a single task.

APM Services

The APM Services tab displays application services associated with workloads managed by the ECS service.

This view helps correlate service level infrastructure behaviour with application performance, traces, and errors.

The Related Resources tab shows a relationship graph for the selected ECS service.

ECS Services Related Resources

The graph typically includes:

  • ECS Cluster
  • ECS Task Definition
  • ECS Service
  • ECS Tasks

This view helps you understand how the service fits into the ECS hierarchy and allows quick navigation to related entities.

Containers

The Containers section provides container level visibility for workloads running inside ECS tasks. This view helps you inspect the most granular execution unit where application processes run and where logs and resource usage originate.

Use this section when you want to understand container health, resource consumption, and logs for a specific container instance.

The first page lists all ECS containers detected in your environment for the selected time range:

ECS Container List

Here, each row represents a running container instance. Common columns include:

  • Container ID: Unique identifier for the container
  • Task ID: ECS task where the container is running
  • Memory Utilization: Current memory usage of the container
  • CPU Utilization: Current CPU usage of the container
  • Status: Runtime status of the container
  • container.name: Container name defined in the task definition

Container Info

The Container Info tab provides a detailed overview of the selected container.

ECS Container Info

Summary cards

This section shows:

  • Status
  • CPU
  • Memory

These values help you quickly confirm whether the container is healthy and actively consuming resources.

Container information

The container information panel includes metadata such as:

  • Host
  • Image name
  • Image tag
  • Operating system

This information helps validate container identity and runtime environment.

Performance charts

The Container Info view includes time series charts for:

  • CPU usage
  • Memory usage
  • Network IO in bytes
  • Network IO in packets
  • Network rate
  • Storage IO

Use these charts to identify spikes, sustained usage patterns, or abnormal behaviour at the container level.

Logs

The Logs tab shows logs generated by the selected container.

ECS Container Logs

It shows the following:

  • A source log trend chart showing log volume over time
  • Total log count and level breakdown
  • A log table with fields such as Date, Type, Namespace, and Message
  • A Columns option to adjust visible fields

This view is useful when debugging container-specific issues or investigating application-level errors emitted by a single container.

Perfect. Below is the Clusters section documentation, written to stay fully consistent with Tasks, Task Definitions, Service, and Containers.

This follows all your guidelines:

  • Simplified, descriptive, professional tone
  • No em dashes
  • No semicolons
  • Same structure and phrasing style
  • Explicitly mentions shared behaviour where screens are reused
  • Aligned with the screenshots you shared in order

Clusters

The Clusters section provides a high-level view of ECS clusters where tasks and services run. This view helps you understand overall resource usage, workload distribution, and cluster-level activity.

Use this section to monitor cluster health, capacity usage, and drill down into tasks running inside a cluster.

Clusters list

The Clusters list shows all ECS clusters detected in your environment for the selected time range.

ECS Cluster List

Each row represents an ECS cluster. Common columns include:

  • Cluster: Name of the ECS cluster
  • CPU Utilization: Aggregated CPU usage across tasks running in the cluster
  • CPU Reserved: CPU reserved by tasks in the cluster
  • Memory Utilization: Aggregated memory usage
  • Memory Reserved: Memory reserved by tasks

Click a cluster name to open the cluster details view.

Cluster Info

The Cluster Info tab provides an overview of the selected ECS cluster.

ECS Cluster Info

Summary cards

This section shows:

  • Cluster name
  • CPU utilization
  • Memory utilization

These values help you quickly assess overall cluster load.

Performance Charts

This tab includes cluster-level charts, such as:

  • CPU usage over time
  • Memory usage over time

These charts represent aggregated behaviour across all tasks running in the cluster and are useful for capacity planning and trend analysis.

The Related Tasks tab lists all ECS tasks running inside the selected cluster.

ECS Related Tasks Cluster

This table is identical in structure and behaviour to the Tasks list view and includes:

  • Task ID
  • Cluster name
  • Definition
  • Version
  • Status
  • Launch type
  • CPU utilization
  • Memory utilization
  • Age

Task drilldown behaviour

ECS Related Tasks Cluster

Clicking a task opens the same task details view described earlier in the Tasks section. All tabs and behaviour remain unchanged, including:

  • Tasks Info
  • Task Definition
  • Containers
  • Logs
  • APM Services
  • Related Resources

This allows seamless navigation from cluster-level context to task-level investigation.

Logs

The Logs tab shows aggregated logs generated by all tasks and containers running in the selected cluster.

ECS Cluster Logs

It shows:

  • A source log trend chart showing log volume over time
  • Total log count with level breakdown
  • A log table with fields such as Date, Type, Namespace, and Message
  • A Columns option to control visible fields

This view is useful for identifying cluster-wide issues or increased log activity across workloads.

APM Services

The APM Services tab displays application services associated with workloads running inside the cluster.

This view helps correlate cluster-level resource behaviour with application performance and errors.

How Clusters relate to other ECS resources

Clusters act as the execution boundary for ECS workloads. From a cluster, you can navigate to:

  • ECS tasks running in the cluster
  • ECS services managing those tasks
  • Task definitions used to create the tasks
  • Containers running inside the tasks

This relationship allows you to move from infrastructure level context to workload level details without leaving the ECS section.

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