# How it works
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The telemetry metrics system follows a simple four-stage data flow from your game servers to visualization dashboards.

**Collection:** Your game server, integrated with the GameLift Server SDK or plugin, automatically emits metrics to a local telemetry collector running on the same instance. The SDK captures both automatic metrics (server lifecycle, resource usage) and custom metrics you define in your code.

**Processing:** The telemetry collector aggregates metrics from your game server and combines them with instance-level performance data (CPU, memory, network, disk usage). This provides a complete picture of both your game's performance and the underlying infrastructure.

**Storage:** Processed metrics are exported to your choice of metrics warehouse - [Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prometheus/latest/userguide/what-is-Amazon-Managed-Service-Prometheus.html) for high-performance time-series storage, Amazon CloudWatch for AWS service integration, or both. All data transmission is authenticated and encrypted.

**Visualization:** [Amazon Managed Grafana](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/grafana/latest/userguide/what-is-Amazon-Managed-Service-Grafana.html) connects to your metrics warehouse to display pre-built GameLift dashboards. These dashboards provide fleet overviews, server performance details, and container monitoring views that help you monitor and troubleshoot your game hosting infrastructure.

**Note**  
All metric transmission between your game server and the telemetry collector occurs locally on the instance for security. Only the collector communicates with AWS services using proper authentication.