# Getting set up
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To use Amazon CloudWatch you need an Amazon account. Your Amazon account allows you to use services (for example, Amazon EC2) to generate metrics that you can view in the CloudWatch console, a graphical web-based interface. In addition, you can install and configure the Amazon command line interface (CLI).

## Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account
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If you do not have an Amazon Web Services account, use the following procedure to create one.

**To sign up for Amazon Web Services**

1. Open [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign Up**.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Amazon sends you a confirmation email after the sign-up process is complete. At any time, you can view your current account activity and manage your account by going to [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choosing **My Account**.

## Secure IAM users
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After you sign up for an Amazon Web Services account, safeguard your administrative user by turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA). For instructions, see [Enable a virtual MFA device for an IAM user (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_enable_virtual.html#enable-virt-mfa-for-iam-user) in the *IAM User Guide*.

To give other users access to your Amazon Web Services account resources, create IAM users. To secure your IAM users, turn on MFA and only give the IAM users the permissions needed to perform their tasks.

For more information about creating and securing IAM users, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*: 
+ [Creating an IAM user in your Amazon Web Services account](https://docs.amazonaws.cn//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html)
+ [Access management for Amazon resources](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access.html)
+ [Example IAM identity-based policies](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_examples.html)

## Sign in to the Amazon CloudWatch console
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**To sign in to the Amazon CloudWatch console**

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.amazonaws.cn/cloudwatch/](https://console.amazonaws.cn/cloudwatch/).

1. If necessary, use the navigation bar to change the Region to the Region where you have your Amazon resources.

1. Even if this is the first time you are using the CloudWatch console, **Your Metrics** could already report metrics, because you have used an Amazon product that automatically pushes metrics to Amazon CloudWatch for free. Other services require that you enable metrics.

   If you do not have any alarms, the **Your Alarms** section will have a **Create Alarm** button.

## Set up the Amazon CLI
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You can use the Amazon CLI or the Amazon CloudWatch CLI to perform CloudWatch commands. Note that the Amazon CLI replaces the CloudWatch CLI; we include new CloudWatch features only in the Amazon CLI.

For information about how to install and configure the Amazon CLI, see [Getting Set Up with the Amazon Command Line Interface](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/cli/latest/userguide/cli-chap-getting-set-up.html) in the *Amazon Command Line Interface User Guide*.

For information about how to install and configure the Amazon CloudWatch CLI, see [Set Up the Command Line Interface](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/cli/SetupCLI.html) in the *Amazon CloudWatch CLI Reference*.