---
title: About the aws_cloudtrail_trail Resource
platform: aws
---

# aws\_cloudtrail\_trail

Use the `aws_cloudtrail_trail` InSpec audit resource to test properties of a single AWS Cloudtrail Trail.

AWS CloudTrail is a service that enables governance, compliance, operational auditing, and risk auditing of your AWS account. With CloudTrail, you can log, continuously monitor, and retain account activity related to actions across your AWS infrastructure. CloudTrail provides event history of your AWS account activity, including actions taken through the AWS Management Console, AWS SDKs, command line tools, and other AWS services. This event history simplifies security analysis, resource change tracking, and troubleshooting.

Each AWS Cloudtrail Trail is uniquely identified by its `trail_name` or `trail_arn`.

<br>

## Availability

### Installation

This resource is distributed along with InSpec itself. You can use it automatically.

### Version

This resource first became available in v2.0.16 of InSpec.

## Syntax

An `aws_cloudtrail_trail` resource block identifies a trail by `trail_name`.

    # Find a trail by name
    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should exist }
    end

    # Hash syntax for trail name
    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail(trail_name: 'trail-name') do
      it { should exist }
    end

<br>

## Examples

The following examples show how to use this InSpec audit resource.

### Test that the specified trail does exist

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should exist }
    end

### Test that the specified trail is encrypted using SSE-KMS

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should be_encrypted }
    end

### Test that the specified trail is a multi-region trail

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should be_multi_region_trail }
    end

<br>

## Properties

* `s3_bucket_name`, `trail_arn`, `cloud_watch_logs_role_arn`, `cloud_watch_logs_log_group_arn`, `kms_key_id`, `home_region`,

<br>

## Property Examples

### s3\_bucket\_name

Specifies the name of the Amazon S3 bucket designated for publishing log files.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('s3_bucket_name') { should cmp "s3-bucket-name" }
    end

### trail\_arn

The ARN identifier of the specified trail. An ARN uniquely identifies the trail within AWS.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('trail_arn') { should cmp "arn:aws:cloudtrail:us-east-1:484747447281:trail/trail-name" }
    end

### cloud\_watch\_logs\_role\_arn

Specifies the role for the CloudWatch Logs endpoint to assume to write to a user\'s log group.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('cloud_watch_logs_role_arn') { should include "arn:aws:iam:::role/CloudTrail_CloudWatchLogs_Role" }
    end

### cloud\_watch\_logs\_log\_group\_arn

Specifies a log group name using an Amazon Resource Name (ARN), a unique identifier that represents the log group to which CloudTrail logs will be delivered.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('cloud_watch_logs_log_group_arn') { should include "arn:aws:logs:us-east-1::log-group:test:*" }
    end

### kms\_key\_id

Specifies the KMS key ID to used to encrypt the logs delivered by CloudTrail.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('kms_key_id') { should include "key-arn" }
    end

### home\_region

Specifies the region in which the trail was created.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('home_region') { should include "us-east-1" }
    end

### delivered\_logs\_days\_ago

Specifies the number of days ago the CloudTrail delivered logs to CloudWatch Logs.

    # Ensure the latest delivery time was recent
    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      its('delivered_logs_days_ago') { should eq 0 }
    end

<br>

## Matchers

This InSpec audit resource has the following special matchers. For a full list of available matchers, please visit our [matchers page](https://www.inspec.io/docs/reference/matchers/).

### be\_multi\_region\_trail

The test will pass if the identified trail is a multi-region trail.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should be_multi_region_trail }
    end

### be\_encrypted

The test will pass if the logs delivered by the identified trail is encrypted.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should be_encrypted }
    end

### be\_log\_file\_validation\_enabled

The test will pass if the identified trail has log file integrity validation is enabled.

    describe aws_cloudtrail_trail('trail-name') do
      it { should be_log_file_validation_enabled }
    end

## AWS Permissions

Your [Principal](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/intro-structure.html#intro-structure-principal) will need the `cloudtrail:DescribeTrails` action with Effect set to Allow.

You can find detailed documentation at [Actions, Resources, and Condition Keys for AWS CloudTrail](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/list_awscloudtrail.html).