What is the primary use of AWS CloudTrail?

The primary use of AWS CloudTrail is to log, continuously monitor, and retain account activity related to actions across the AWS infrastructure. CloudTrail provides significant functionality for security analysis, resource change tracking, and compliance auditing by recording details about every API call made in your AWS account. This includes identifying who made the request, how it was made, and what resources were affected, which is vital for understanding usage patterns and ensuring accountability.

This logging capability is essential for organizations that need to comply with regulatory requirements or maintain a stringent security posture. By retaining logs of actions and changes over time, CloudTrail enables users to conduct thorough audits, identify potential security threats, and even troubleshoot operational issues that may arise within their AWS environment.