Cloud Watch agent stopped sending logs after clearing log file

Hi THere

Instead of clearing the log file with the echo command, id recommend implementing something like logrotate or one of the supported methods below:

From https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/logs/AgentReference.html#agent-faq

The following file rotation mechanisms are supported:

1. Renaming existing log files with a numerical suffix, then re-creating the original empty log file. For example, /var/log/syslog.log is renamed /var/log/syslog.log.1. If /var/log/syslog.log.1 already exists from a previous rotation, it is renamed /var/log/syslog.log.2. (logrotate will do this for you)
2. Truncating the original log file in place after creating a copy. For example, /var/log/syslog.log is copied to /var/log/syslog.log.1 and /var/log/syslog.log is truncated. There might be data loss for this case, so be careful about using this file rotation mechanism.
3. Creating a new file with a common pattern as the old one. For example, /var/log/syslog.log.2014-01-01 remains and /var/log/syslog.log.2014-01-02 is created.

You might also find the exact reason that the logs stop streaming by examining the CloudWatch agent log file. See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/troubleshooting-CloudWatch-Agent.html#CloudWatch-Agent-troubleshooting-loginfo But I would still try and stick with one of the supported rotation mechanisms to ensure you do not lose data.