---
id: watchtower
version: "3.4.0"
license: Apache Software License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# watchtower — Python CloudWatch Logging

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install watchtower
uv add watchtower
poetry add watchtower

## Description

Watchtower: Python CloudWatch Logging
=====================================
Watchtower is a log handler for `Amazon Web Services CloudWatch Logs
<https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/cloudwatch-log-service/>`_.

CloudWatch Logs is a log management service built into AWS. It is conceptually similar to services like Splunk, Datadog,
and Loggly, but is more lightweight, cheaper, and tightly integrated with the rest of AWS.

Watchtower, in turn, is a lightweight adapter between the `Python logging system
<https://docs.python.org/library/logging.html>`_ and CloudWatch Logs. It uses the `boto3 AWS SDK
<https://github.com/boto/boto3>`_, and lets you plug your application logging directly into CloudWatch without the need
to install a system-wide log collector like `awscli-cwlogs <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/awscli-cwlogs>`_ and round-trip
your logs through the instance's syslog. It aggregates logs into batches to avoid sending an API request per each log
message, while guaranteeing a delivery deadline (60 seconds by default).

Installation
~~~~~~~~~~~~
::

    pip install watchtower

Synopsis
~~~~~~~~
Install `awscli <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/awscli>`_ and set your AWS credentials...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Watchtower is a Python logging handler that sends application logs directly to AWS CloudWatch Logs, aggregating them into batches to minimize API calls while guaranteeing delivery within a configurable deadline.

Verdict: Watchtower is a stable, low-friction adapter for sending Python application logs to AWS CloudWatch. It has no known vulnerabilities, supports Python 3.8–3.13, and integrates cleanly with the standard logging module. The 534-day gap since last release suggests maintenance may be infrequent, but the package remains functional and well-suited for AWS-native deployments.

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