Logging (computing): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:22, 11 December 2022

Revision as of 15:22, 11 December 2022

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A '''server log''' is a log file (or several files) automatically created and maintained by a [[Server (computing)|server]] consisting of a list of activities it performed.

A typical example is a [[Webserver directory index|web server]] log which maintains a history of page requests. The [[World Wide Web Consortium|W3C]] maintains a standard format (the [[Common Log Format]]) for web server log files, but other proprietary formats exist.<ref name="auto"/> Some servers can log information to computer readable formats (such as [[JSON]]) versus the human readable standard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://caddyserver.com/docs/logging|title=How Logging Works - Caddy Documentation|first=Caddy Web|last=Server|website=caddyserver.com}}</ref> More recent entries are typically appended to the end of the file. Information about the request, including [[client (computing)|client]] [[IP address]], request [[Calendar date|date]]/[[time]], [[webpage|page]] requested, [[HTTP]] code, bytes served, [[user agent]], and [[HTTP referrer|referrer]] are typically added. This data can be combined into a single file, or separated into distinct logs, such as an access log, [[error]] log, or referrer log. However, server logs typically do not collect user-specific information.

These files are usually not accessible to general Internet users, only to the [[webmaster]] or other administrative person of an Internet service. A statistical analysis of the server log may be used to examine traffic patterns by time of day, day of week, referrer, or user agent. Efficient web site administration, adequate hosting resources and the fine tuning of sales efforts can be aided by analysis of the web server logs.