# Create a monitor in Network Flow Monitor
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As you review top contributors in the **Workload insights** tab, if you see one or several network flows that you want to follow over time, or that you want more details about, you can create a monitor directly from **Workload insights**. This simplifies the process for creating a monitor for specific network flows.

Or, if you know specific network flows that you want to track with a monitor, such as looking at performance information for all network flows to another AWS Region, you can use the ** Create monitor** wizard to create a monitor from scratch. When you create a monitor this way, you specify all of the local and remote resources that define the network flows that you want to monitor.

For specific procedures, see the following sections:
+  [Create a monitor by specifying network flows](#CloudWatch-NetworkFlowMonitor-configure-monitors-create-workload-insights)
+  [Create a monitor by specifying local and remote resources](#CloudWatch-NetworkFlowMonitor-configure-monitors-create-standalone)

## Create a monitor by specifying network flows
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To create a monitor by selecting network flows, start on the **Workload insights** tab. Select one or more network flows in one of the tables, in a single Region, and then, choose to create a monitor with those flows.

When you create a monitor in this way, the **Create monitor** wizard pre-populates local and remote resources for you and displays them in a modal dialog. You can choose to create a monitor with those resources, or edit the selection of local or remote resources to add or remove resources to include.

By reviewing the top contributors on **Workload insights** on an ongoing basis, you can regularly evaluate if you have the monitors that you need, or if creating new monitors would be helpful.

**Important**  
These steps are designed to be completed all at once. You won't be able to save any in-process work to continue later.

**To create a monitor from **Workload insights****

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/).

1. In the left navigation pane, under **Network Monitoring**, choose **Flow monitors**.

1. Choose **Workload insights**.

1. In one of the **Top contributors** tables, select one or more network flows and then choose **Create monitor**.

1. In the modal window that opens, you can edit the resources that define the network flows that you chose, or choose **Create monitor**.

## Create a monitor by specifying local and remote resources
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You can create a monitor at any time for specific local and remote resources that define network flows that you want to see details for. 

For example, you might want to create a monitor for one of the following scenarios:
+ A monitor that includes network flows for a specific VPC in a local Region to another VPC in the same Region. (Note that you can't select a specific resource, such as a VPC, as a network flow endpoint - that is, the remote resource - in another Region.)
  + For local resource, choose **Specific resources in *Region***. Then, choose **VPC and subnets**, and then, in the table, select a specific VPC.
  + For remote resource, do the same: choose **Specific resources in *Region***, then, choose **VPC and subnets**, and finally, select a specific VPC.
+ A monitor that includes all network flows from your workload in a local Region to a specific Availability Zone.
  + For local resource, choose **Everywhere in *Region***
  + For remote resource, choose **Availability Zone**, and then choose a specific AZ
+ A monitor that includes all network flows for your workload within a local Region.
  + For local resource, choose **Everywhere in *Region***
  + For remote resource, choose **Everywhere in *Region***
+ A monitor that includes all network flows for your workload from a local Region to the edge of another Region.
  + For local resource, choose **Everywhere in *Region***
  + For remote resource, choose **Another Region**, and then choose the remote Region

**Important**  
These steps are designed to be completed all at once. You won't be able to save any in-process work to continue later.

**To create a monitor using the console**

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/).

1. In the left navigation pane, under **Network Monitoring**, choose **Flow monitors**.

1. From the Network Flow Monitor page, select the **Monitors** tab, and then choose **Create monitor**.

1. For **Monitor name**, enter the name that you want to use for the monitor. You can't change this name later.

1. Choose **Next**.

1. Select the local resources (one or more) for the network flows that you want to monitor.
   + To monitor network flows from all resources in your Region, choose **Everywhere in *Region***.
   + To choose specific local resources to monitor flows from, choose **Specific resources in *Region***. Then, under **Add resources**, choose **Availability Zones**, **EKS clusters**, or **VPCs and subnets**, and then choose resources to add.

1. Choose **Next**.

1. Select the remote resources (one or more) for the network flows that you want to monitor.
   + To monitor network flows to all resources in your Region, choose **Everywhere in *Region***.
   + To monitor flows from specific remote resources, choose **Specific resources in *Region***. Under **Add resources**, select **VPCs and subnets**, **Availability Zones**, or **AWS services**, and then choose the resources to add.
   + To monitor network flows to the edge of another Region, choose ** Another Region**.

1. Choose **Next**.

1. Review your choices to confirm the network flows to monitor, or edit the options to make changes.

1. Choose **Create monitor**.

After you create a monitor, you can edit or delete the monitor at any time to add or remove network flows. Select a monitor, and then choose **Edit** or **Delete**. Note that you can't change the name of a monitor.

**To view the Network Flow Monitor dashboard**

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Network monitoring**, then **Flow monitors**.

   The **Monitors** tab displays a list of the monitors that you have created. 

To see more information about a specific monitor, choose a monitor.