Linking AWS CloudTrail as a source

The AWS CloudTrail connector syncs CloudTrail events, trail settings, Insights data, and Lake query history into the PostHog data warehouse, so you can analyze AWS audit logs alongside your product data.

Prerequisites

Credentials that can read the data you want to sync. PostHog only reads data, so read access is enough.

The IAM permissions you need depend on which tables you select:

Adding a data source

1. In PostHog, go to the Sources tab of the data pipeline section.
2. Click + New source and click Link next to this source.
3. Enter your credentials (see Configuration below) and click Next.
4. Select the tables you want to sync, choose a sync method and frequency, then click Import.

Once the syncs are complete, you can start querying this data in PostHog.

When linking AWS CloudTrail, you'll need:

• AWS access key ID – the access key ID for your IAM user or role (starts with AKIA...).
• AWS secret access key – the corresponding secret access key.
• AWS session token (optional) – only required if you are using temporary STS credentials. Temporary credentials expire, so update them before scheduled syncs run.
• AWS region – the AWS region to sync data from (e.g., us-east-1).

Creating IAM credentials

1. In the AWS Console, go to IAM > Users and create a new user (or use an existing one).
2. Attach a policy with the permissions for the tables you want. To enable all tables, use:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "cloudtrail:LookupEvents",
        "cloudtrail:DescribeTrails",
        "cloudtrail:ListEventDataStores",
        "cloudtrail:ListInsightsData",
        "cloudtrail:ListQueries",
        "cloudtrail:DescribeQuery"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

3. Create an access key for the user under Security credentials > Access keys.
4. Copy the Access key ID and Secret access key – you'll need both when linking the source in PostHog.

Sync modes

Each table can be synced in one of several modes, depending on what the source supports:

• Webhook (when available) – the source pushes changes to PostHog in real time. Fastest freshness, lowest ongoing cost, and the only mode that reliably captures updates and deletes.
• Incremental – only new or updated rows are synced on each run, using a cursor field (such as an updated_at timestamp). Cheaper than a full refresh, but deletes aren't captured.
• Append only – new rows are appended using a cursor field; existing rows are never updated. Ideal for immutable, append-only tables like event logs.
• Full refresh – the whole table is reloaded on every sync. Use it when a table has no reliable cursor or when you need deletions reflected.

See sync methods for a full explanation of how each mode works and how to choose between them.

Duplicate rows are merged by primary key, so re-read periods don't create duplicates.

Configuration

Supported tables

Troubleshooting

• If the connection fails with an authorization error, the AWS access key ID is wrong, expired, or has been revoked. Create a new one, then reconnect the source.
• If you see a signature error, re-enter the secret access key. If you are using temporary credentials, the session token may have expired.
• If a table syncs no rows, the credential may not have access to that data or the feature may not be enabled. Check that Insights is enabled on your trails for the Insights tables, and that CloudTrail Lake is set up for the Lake tables.
• If a trail or event store is skipped during sync, PostHog logs it and continues with the remaining trails or stores. Common reasons include organization trails viewed from a member account or inactive event stores.
• CloudTrail Lake is only available to existing customers after May 31, 2026.

If your sync is failing or data looks wrong, see the Data warehouse troubleshooting guide. If that doesn't help, contact support – we're happy to help.