diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index 883057a3544..da68484eff5 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ stop:
 monitor:
 	@pm2 monit
 
+logs:
+	@pm2 logs
+
 # dev #########################################
 
 dev: clear clean-dist install
diff --git a/packages/rendering/lib/aws-metrics.js b/packages/rendering/lib/aws-metrics.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a4cbf2be530
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/rendering/lib/aws-metrics.js
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+// @flow
+
+type Metric = {
+    send: () => void,
+};
+
+process.env.AWS_PROFILE = 'frontend';
+
+const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
+
+AWS.config.update({ region: 'eu-west-1' });
+
+// how frequently we send metrics to aws in ms
+const METRICS_TIME_RESOLUTION = 60 * 1000;
+
+const sendMetric = (m: Array) => {
+    if (m.length === 0) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    const cloudWatchClient = new AWS.CloudWatch();
+
+    const params = {
+        MetricData: m,
+        Namespace: 'Application',
+    };
+
+    cloudWatchClient.putMetricData(params, err => {
+        if (err) {
+            console.error(err, err.stack);
+        }
+    });
+};
+
+// handles sending matrics to AWS
+
+const collectAndSendAWSMetrics = function(...metrics: Metric) {
+    setInterval(() => {
+        console.log('Collecting metrics');
+        metrics.forEach(m => m.send());
+    }, METRICS_TIME_RESOLUTION);
+};
+
+// to record things like latency
+
+const TimingMetric = function TimingMetric(
+    app: String,
+    stage: String,
+    metricName: String,
+) {
+    const values = [];
+
+    return {
+        recordDuration: (n: Number) => {
+            values.push(n);
+        },
+
+        send: () => {
+            sendMetric(
+                values.map(v => ({
+                    Dimensions: [
+                        {
+                            Name: 'ApplicationName',
+                            Value: app,
+                        },
+                        {
+                            Name: 'Stage',
+                            Value: stage,
+                        },
+                    ],
+                    MetricName: metricName,
+                    Unit: 'Milliseconds',
+                    Value: v,
+                })),
+            );
+
+            values.length = 0;
+        },
+    };
+};
+
+// to record memory or file sizes
+
+const BytesMetric = function BytesMetric(
+    app: String,
+    stage: String,
+    metricName: String,
+) {
+    const values = [];
+
+    return {
+        record: (n: Number) => {
+            values.push(n);
+        },
+
+        send: () => {
+            sendMetric(
+                values.map(v => ({
+                    Dimensions: [
+                        {
+                            Name: 'ApplicationName',
+                            Value: app,
+                        },
+                        {
+                            Name: 'Stage',
+                            Value: stage,
+                        },
+                    ],
+                    MetricName: metricName,
+                    Unit: 'Bytes',
+                    Value: v,
+                })),
+            );
+
+            values.length = 0;
+        },
+    };
+};
+
+module.exports = {
+    collectAndSendAWSMetrics,
+    BytesMetric,
+    TimingMetric,
+};
diff --git a/packages/rendering/lib/metrics-baseline.js b/packages/rendering/lib/metrics-baseline.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7212b6db303
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/rendering/lib/metrics-baseline.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// @flow
+
+import os from 'os';
+import disk from 'diskusage';
+import { BytesMetric, collectAndSendAWSMetrics } from './aws-metrics';
+
+const maxHeapMemory = BytesMetric('rendering', 'PROD', 'max-heap-memory');
+const freeDiskSpace = BytesMetric('rendering', 'PROD', 'free-disk-memory');
+const usedHeapMemory = BytesMetric('rendering', 'PROD', 'used-heap-memory');
+const freePhysicalMemory = BytesMetric(
+    'rendering',
+    'PROD',
+    'free-physical-memory',
+);
+const totalPhysicalMemory = BytesMetric(
+    'rendering',
+    'PROD',
+    'total-physical-memory',
+);
+
+// transmits metrics to AWS
+
+collectAndSendAWSMetrics(
+    maxHeapMemory,
+    usedHeapMemory,
+    totalPhysicalMemory,
+    freePhysicalMemory,
+    freeDiskSpace,
+);
+
+// records system metrics
+
+const recordBaselineCloudWatchMetrics = function recordBaselineCloudWatchMetrics() {
+    disk.check('/', (err, diskinfo) => {
+        if (err) {
+            console.error(err);
+        } else {
+            maxHeapMemory.record(process.memoryUsage().heapTotal);
+            usedHeapMemory.record(process.memoryUsage().heapUsed);
+            totalPhysicalMemory.record(os.totalmem());
+            freePhysicalMemory.record(os.freemem());
+            freeDiskSpace.record(diskinfo.free);
+        }
+    });
+};
+
+export default recordBaselineCloudWatchMetrics;
diff --git a/packages/rendering/package.json b/packages/rendering/package.json
index 142718b3ec3..6d825627121 100644
--- a/packages/rendering/package.json
+++ b/packages/rendering/package.json
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
   },
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "dependencies": {
+    "aws-sdk": "^2.279.1",
+    "diskusage": "^0.2.4",
     "emotion": "^9.1.1",
     "express": "^4.16.3",
     "glob": "^7.1.2",
diff --git a/packages/rendering/server.js b/packages/rendering/server.js
index 019a4549425..afb5b1f0d3d 100644
--- a/packages/rendering/server.js
+++ b/packages/rendering/server.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import path from 'path';
 import express from 'express';
 import type { $Request, $Response } from 'express';
-
+import recordBaselineCloudWatchMetrics from './lib/metrics-baseline';
 import document from '../../frontend/document';
 import Article from '../../frontend/pages/Article';
 import { dist, getPagesForSite, root } from '../../config';
@@ -80,5 +80,10 @@ if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
     app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
         res.status(500).send(`<pre>${err.stack}</pre>`);
     });
+
+    setInterval(() => {
+        recordBaselineCloudWatchMetrics();
+    }, 10 * 1000);
+
     app.listen(9000);
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index a3b1f5d86b2..0e70c04e68a 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -1233,6 +1233,20 @@ autoprefixer@^9.0.0:
     postcss "^7.0.2"
     postcss-value-parser "^3.2.3"
 
+aws-sdk@^2.279.1:
+  version "2.300.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/aws-sdk/-/aws-sdk-2.300.0.tgz#862f993151b1d8c96f58a5c04aef562e04d56c6a"
+  dependencies:
+    buffer "4.9.1"
+    events "1.1.1"
+    ieee754 "1.1.8"
+    jmespath "0.15.0"
+    querystring "0.2.0"
+    sax "1.2.1"
+    url "0.10.3"
+    uuid "3.1.0"
+    xml2js "0.4.19"
+
 aws-sign2@~0.6.0:
   version "0.6.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/aws-sign2/-/aws-sign2-0.6.0.tgz#14342dd38dbcc94d0e5b87d763cd63612c0e794f"
@@ -2253,7 +2267,7 @@ buffer-xor@^1.0.3:
   version "1.0.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/buffer-xor/-/buffer-xor-1.0.3.tgz#26e61ed1422fb70dd42e6e36729ed51d855fe8d9"
 
-buffer@^4.3.0:
+buffer@4.9.1, buffer@^4.3.0:
   version "4.9.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/buffer/-/buffer-4.9.1.tgz#6d1bb601b07a4efced97094132093027c95bc298"
   dependencies:
@@ -3294,6 +3308,12 @@ dir-glob@^2.0.0:
     arrify "^1.0.1"
     path-type "^3.0.0"
 
+diskusage@^0.2.4:
+  version "0.2.4"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/diskusage/-/diskusage-0.2.4.tgz#e956f7a1051e0c6a1af706154efe620a2ee432ec"
+  dependencies:
+    nan "^2.5.0"
+
 doctrine@1.5.0:
   version "1.5.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/doctrine/-/doctrine-1.5.0.tgz#379dce730f6166f76cefa4e6707a159b02c5a6fa"
@@ -3760,7 +3780,7 @@ eventemitter2@~0.4.14:
   version "0.4.14"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/eventemitter2/-/eventemitter2-0.4.14.tgz#8f61b75cde012b2e9eb284d4545583b5643b61ab"
 
-events@^1.0.0:
+events@1.1.1, events@^1.0.0:
   version "1.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/events/-/events-1.1.1.tgz#9ebdb7635ad099c70dcc4c2a1f5004288e8bd924"
 
@@ -4780,6 +4800,10 @@ icss-utils@^2.1.0:
   dependencies:
     postcss "^6.0.1"
 
+ieee754@1.1.8:
+  version "1.1.8"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ieee754/-/ieee754-1.1.8.tgz#be33d40ac10ef1926701f6f08a2d86fbfd1ad3e4"
+
 ieee754@^1.1.4:
   version "1.1.11"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ieee754/-/ieee754-1.1.11.tgz#c16384ffe00f5b7835824e67b6f2bd44a5229455"
@@ -5276,6 +5300,10 @@ jest-docblock@^21.0.0:
   version "21.2.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/jest-docblock/-/jest-docblock-21.2.0.tgz#51529c3b30d5fd159da60c27ceedc195faf8d414"
 
+jmespath@0.15.0:
+  version "0.15.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/jmespath/-/jmespath-0.15.0.tgz#a3f222a9aae9f966f5d27c796510e28091764217"
+
 js-base64@^2.1.9:
   version "2.4.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/js-base64/-/js-base64-2.4.3.tgz#2e545ec2b0f2957f41356510205214e98fad6582"
@@ -6069,7 +6097,7 @@ mute-stream@0.0.7, mute-stream@~0.0.4:
   version "0.0.7"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mute-stream/-/mute-stream-0.0.7.tgz#3075ce93bc21b8fab43e1bc4da7e8115ed1e7bab"
 
-nan@^2.3.0, nan@^2.6.2:
+nan@^2.3.0, nan@^2.5.0, nan@^2.6.2:
   version "2.10.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/nan/-/nan-2.10.0.tgz#96d0cd610ebd58d4b4de9cc0c6828cda99c7548f"
 
@@ -8004,7 +8032,11 @@ safer-buffer@^2.1.0:
   version "2.1.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/safer-buffer/-/safer-buffer-2.1.2.tgz#44fa161b0187b9549dd84bb91802f9bd8385cd6a"
 
-sax@^1.2.4, sax@~1.2.1:
+sax@1.2.1:
+  version "1.2.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/sax/-/sax-1.2.1.tgz#7b8e656190b228e81a66aea748480d828cd2d37a"
+
+sax@>=0.6.0, sax@^1.2.4, sax@~1.2.1:
   version "1.2.4"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/sax/-/sax-1.2.4.tgz#2816234e2378bddc4e5354fab5caa895df7100d9"
 
@@ -9129,6 +9161,13 @@ url-to-options@^1.0.1:
   version "1.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/url-to-options/-/url-to-options-1.0.1.tgz#1505a03a289a48cbd7a434efbaeec5055f5633a9"
 
+url@0.10.3:
+  version "0.10.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/url/-/url-0.10.3.tgz#021e4d9c7705f21bbf37d03ceb58767402774c64"
+  dependencies:
+    punycode "1.3.2"
+    querystring "0.2.0"
+
 url@^0.11.0:
   version "0.11.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/url/-/url-0.11.0.tgz#3838e97cfc60521eb73c525a8e55bfdd9e2e28f1"
@@ -9163,6 +9202,10 @@ utils-merge@1.0.1:
   version "1.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/utils-merge/-/utils-merge-1.0.1.tgz#9f95710f50a267947b2ccc124741c1028427e713"
 
+uuid@3.1.0:
+  version "3.1.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/uuid/-/uuid-3.1.0.tgz#3dd3d3e790abc24d7b0d3a034ffababe28ebbc04"
+
 uuid@^3.0.0, uuid@^3.0.1, uuid@^3.1.0:
   version "3.2.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/uuid/-/uuid-3.2.1.tgz#12c528bb9d58d0b9265d9a2f6f0fe8be17ff1f14"
@@ -9563,6 +9606,17 @@ xml-name-validator@^3.0.0:
   version "3.0.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xml-name-validator/-/xml-name-validator-3.0.0.tgz#6ae73e06de4d8c6e47f9fb181f78d648ad457c6a"
 
+xml2js@0.4.19:
+  version "0.4.19"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xml2js/-/xml2js-0.4.19.tgz#686c20f213209e94abf0d1bcf1efaa291c7827a7"
+  dependencies:
+    sax ">=0.6.0"
+    xmlbuilder "~9.0.1"
+
+xmlbuilder@~9.0.1:
+  version "9.0.7"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xmlbuilder/-/xmlbuilder-9.0.7.tgz#132ee63d2ec5565c557e20f4c22df9aca686b10d"
+
 xtend@^4.0.0, xtend@^4.0.1, xtend@~4.0.0, xtend@~4.0.1:
   version "4.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xtend/-/xtend-4.0.1.tgz#a5c6d532be656e23db820efb943a1f04998d63af"