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This guide shows you how to display an AWS CloudWatch dashboard on your digital signage screens, so you can monitor your application performance, server health, and critical infrastructure metrics in real time.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • An AWS account with an IAM user who has access to the target CloudWatch dashboard
  • The AWS Console login URL, account ID, and IAM credentials for that user
  • The full dashboard URL you plan to display
This integration requires a direct AWS Console login with an IAM username and password. Federated login methods, such as signing in through an SSO identity provider, are not compatible with this setup. Please ensure you use an IAM user with basic authentication credentials.
Best Practice: For security, create a dedicated IAM user with a policy granting read-only permissions (cloudwatch:GetDashboard, cloudwatch:ListDashboards) for the dashboard you intend to display. Do not use your root account or an admin-level user.

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Step-by-Step Configuration

1

Create the Dashboard App in Pickcel

Log in to the Pickcel Console and navigate to Apps. Search for the Dashboard app and click on it. Then, click Create App.
  • Give a name to the app instance (e.g., “Production Server Health - AWS”).
  • Select AWS Console from the dropdown menu. The configuration fields will open on the right.
2

Fill in the Fields for AWS Console Dashboard Configuration

This section requires precise information to generate a correct and secure Auth Token.
  • AWS Console Login URL: Navigate to the AWS login page and copy the full URL from your browser’s address bar.
  • Your AWS Console Account ID: Enter your 12-digit AWS account ID without hyphens.
  • IAM Username Or Email: Enter the username of the dedicated IAM user.
  • Your AWS Console Password: Enter the password for that IAM user.
  • Your AWS Console Dashboard URL: Log into the AWS console and go to the specific CloudWatch dashboard. Copy the full URL from the address bar and paste it here.
Click Generate Auth Token. The token will be generated, copied to your clipboard, and automatically pasted into the Auth Token field on the left.

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Enter Screen Selection Code (Optional)

To isolate key graphs, use the Pickcel Dashboard Screen Mapper Extension to select an area and paste the generated code into the Screen Selection Code field.
Check this guide for more info: How to Use the Dashboard Screen Mapper Chrome Extension?
3

Set Refresh Interval and Session Expiry

  • Refresh Interval: This setting defines how often the dashboard is updated. For infrastructure monitoring, a refresh interval of 5 minutes is recommended.
  • Session Expiry: This forces a fresh login to prevent session timeouts. Set this to 1 hour, as AWS sessions are typically shorter for security reasons.
4

Enable Scroll Option for the Dashboard (Optional)

  • Enable Auto Scroll: Set a duration in seconds for the dashboard to scroll from top to bottom.
  • Enable Auto Scroll Height: Set a height in pixels for the dashboard to scroll down incrementally.
5

Create and Publish

Once the configuration is complete, click Create App. The app instance will be available in the Media section.To preview, go to Media, find your app instance by name, and click its thumbnail. If the preview is correct, assign it to your signage screens.
If the password or any other credentials are incorrect, the process will stall on the login screen, displaying the login screen instead of the dashboard.

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What’s Next?

Your AWS CloudWatch Dashboard App is now ready. For further reading: