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Overview

The log command provides real-time log viewing and log management for all server components. Monitor access logs, debug errors, and manage log retention.

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Basic Usage

sudo log [domain] <option> <argument>

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Nginx Logs

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Access Logs

View Nginx access logs: 
# Global access log (all sites)
sudo log

# Site-specific access log
sudo log example.com
Example output: 
192.168.1.100 - - [03/Mar/2026:10:15:30 +0000] "GET /index.php HTTP/1.1" 200 5432
192.168.1.101 - - [03/Mar/2026:10:15:31 +0000] "POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1" 200 156

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Error Logs

View Nginx error logs: 
# Global error log
sudo log -error

# Site-specific error log
sudo log example.com -error
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-error
boolean
View error logs instead of access logs

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WordPress Logs

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Enable Debug Mode

Enable WordPress debug logging: 
# Enable debug mode
sudo log example.com -wp=on

# Enable with debug display off (recommended for production)
sudo log example.com -wp=on -display=off

# Enable for subfolder
sudo log example.com -wp=on -subfolder=/blog
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-wp
string
WordPress debug mode:
  • on - Enable debug logging
  • off - Disable debug logging
  • true - View debug log (if enabled)
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-display
string
Control debug display:
  • off - Log errors but don’t display on screen (recommended)
  • (omit) - Display errors on screen (default when enabling)
What gets enabled:
  • WP_DEBUG = true - Enable debug mode
  • WP_DEBUG_LOG = true - Log to /wp-content/debug.log
  • WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY - Show errors on screen (if -display not set to off)

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View WordPress Debug Log

# View debug log
sudo log example.com -wp

# View debug log for subfolder
sudo log example.com -wp -subfolder=/blog
Log location: /var/www/example.com/htdocs/wp-content/debug.log
WordPress debug mode must be enabled first. If logging is off, viewing will show an error.

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Disable Debug Mode

sudo log example.com -wp=off

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Set Environment with Debug

Combine with environment setting: 
# Enable debug and set environment
sudo log example.com -wp=on -env=staging

# Disable debug and set environment
sudo log example.com -wp=off -env=production

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PHP Logs

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PHP-FPM Logs

View PHP-FPM error logs: 
sudo log -php
Alternative: 
sudo log -fpm
Shows PHP-FPM process errors, warnings, and notices.

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MySQL/MariaDB Logs

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Error Log

View MySQL/MariaDB error log: 
sudo log -mysql
Alternative: 
sudo log -mysql=error

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General Log

Enable and view general query log: 
# Enable general log
sudo log -mysql=general -enable

# View general log
sudo log -mysql=general

# Disable general log
sudo log -mysql=general -disable
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-enable
boolean
Enable the specified MySQL log type
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-disable
boolean
Disable the specified MySQL log type
General log records ALL queries and can grow very large. Only enable for debugging, then disable.

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Slow Query Log

Enable and view slow query log: 
# Enable slow query log
sudo log -mysql=slow -enable

# Enable with custom threshold
sudo log -mysql=slow -enable -long-query-time=5

# View slow query log
sudo log -mysql=slow

# Disable slow query log
sudo log -mysql=slow -disable
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-long-query-time
number
default:"10"
Queries taking longer than this (in seconds) are logged. Default is 10 seconds.

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Binary Log

Enable and view binary log (for replication): 
# Enable binary log
sudo log -mysql=binary -enable

# Enable with custom expiration
sudo log -mysql=binary -enable -expire-logs=604800

# View binary log
sudo log -mysql=binary

# Disable binary log
sudo log -mysql=binary -disable
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-expire-logs
number
default:"2592000"
Binary log expiration time in seconds. Default is 2592000 (30 days).
Binary logs are required for MySQL replication and point-in-time recovery.

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Mail Logs

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Mail and SMTP Logs

View mail server logs: 
sudo log -mail
Alternative: 
sudo log -email
Shows both:
  • /var/log/mail.log - Mail delivery log
  • /var/log/mail.err - Mail errors

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System Logs

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Let’s Encrypt Logs

View Let’s Encrypt/Certbot logs: 
sudo log -le
Useful for debugging SSL certificate issues.

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SSH/Auth Logs

View authentication and SSH logs: 
sudo log -auth
Alternative: 
sudo log -ssh
Shows login attempts, sudo usage, and authentication events.

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Syslog

View system log: 
sudo log -syslog
Shows general system messages from all services.

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Log Configuration

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Access Log Control

Enable or disable access logging: 
# Disable access log globally
sudo log -access-log=off

# Enable access log globally
sudo log -access-log=on

# Disable for specific site
sudo log example.com -access-log=off

# Enable for specific site
sudo log example.com -access-log=on
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-access-log
string
Access log control:
  • on - Enable access logging
  • off - Disable access logging

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Access Log Buffering

Optimize access log performance with buffering: 
# Enable with buffering (buffer=32k, flush=5m)
sudo log -access-log=on -buffer=[32,5]

# Enable for site with buffering
sudo log example.com -access-log=on -buffer=[64,10]
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-buffer
string
Log buffer configuration: [buffer_size_kb,flush_time_minutes]
  • First value: Buffer size in kilobytes
  • Second value: Flush interval in minutes
Example: [32,5] = 32KB buffer, flush every 5 minutes
Buffering improves performance by reducing disk writes, but logs may be delayed by up to the flush interval.

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Log Viewing Options

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Custom Line Count

Control number of lines displayed: 
# Show last 50 lines (default is 10)
sudo log example.com -lines=50

# Show last 100 lines of error log
sudo log -error -lines=100

# Show last 20 lines of PHP log
sudo log -php -lines=20
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-lines
number
default:"10"
Number of lines to display from the end of the log file
You can also set a default line count: 
# Set default to 20 lines
sudo webinoly -dynvar=log-lines -value=20

# Now all log commands show 20 lines by default
sudo log example.com

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Log Management

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Purge Old Logs

Delete old compressed log files: 
# Purge all .gz log files (prompts for confirmation)
sudo log -purge

# Purge without confirmation
sudo log -purge=force

# Purge Nginx logs only
sudo log -purge=nginx

# Purge MySQL logs only
sudo log -purge=mysql

# Purge Let's Encrypt logs only
sudo log -purge=letsencrypt

# Purge Redis logs only
sudo log -purge=redis

# Purge journal logs (keeps last 7 days)
sudo log -purge=journal
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-purge
string
Purge log files:
  • true / all - Purge all .gz logs (prompts for confirmation)
  • force - Purge all without confirmation
  • nginx - Purge only Nginx .gz logs
  • mysql - Purge only MySQL .gz logs
  • letsencrypt - Purge only Let’s Encrypt .gz logs
  • redis - Purge only Redis .gz logs
  • journal - Clean systemd journal (keeps 7 days)
This only removes compressed (.gz) log files. Current log files are not affected.

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Real-Time Monitoring

All log commands show real-time updates using tail -f: 
# Monitor access log in real-time
sudo log example.com

# Monitor error log in real-time
sudo log example.com -error

# Monitor WordPress debug log
sudo log example.com -wp

# Press Ctrl+C to stop monitoring

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Examples

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Debug WordPress Issues

# Enable WordPress debug
sudo log example.com -wp=on -display=off

# View debug log in real-time
sudo log example.com -wp

# Also check PHP errors
sudo log -php

# Check Nginx errors
sudo log example.com -error

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Monitor High Traffic Site

# Monitor access in real-time
sudo log example.com -lines=50

# In another terminal, monitor errors
sudo log example.com -error -lines=50

# Check PHP-FPM status
sudo log -php

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Debug Database Issues

# Check MySQL errors
sudo log -mysql

# Enable slow query log
sudo log -mysql=slow -enable -long-query-time=2

# Monitor slow queries
sudo log -mysql=slow

# Disable when done
sudo log -mysql=slow -disable

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Debug SSL Issues

# Check Let's Encrypt logs
sudo log -le

# Check Nginx error log
sudo log -error

# Check system log
sudo log -syslog

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Audit Security

# Check auth logs for login attempts
sudo log -auth -lines=100

# Check access logs for suspicious activity
sudo log example.com -lines=100

# Check system log
sudo log -syslog

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Optimize Performance

# Disable access logging for high-traffic site
sudo log example.com -access-log=off

# Or use buffering
sudo log example.com -access-log=on -buffer=[64,10]

# Enable slow query log to find bottlenecks
sudo log -mysql=slow -enable -long-query-time=1
sudo log -mysql=slow

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Clean Up Disk Space

# Check current log sizes
du -sh /var/log/nginx/*.gz
du -sh /var/log/mysql/*.gz

# Purge old compressed logs
sudo log -purge=nginx
sudo log -purge=mysql

# Clean journal
sudo log -purge=journal

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Log Locations Reference

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Nginx

  • Global access: /var/log/nginx/access.log
  • Global error: /var/log/nginx/error.log
  • Site access: /var/log/nginx/[domain].access.log
  • Site error: /var/log/nginx/[domain].error.log

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PHP

  • PHP-FPM: /var/log/php/[version]/fpm.log

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MySQL/MariaDB

  • Error: /var/log/mysql/error.log
  • General: /var/log/mysql/mysql.log
  • Slow query: /var/log/mysql/mariadb-slow.log
  • Binary: /var/log/mysql/mariadb-bin

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WordPress

  • Debug: /var/www/[domain]/htdocs/wp-content/debug.log

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System

  • Mail: /var/log/mail.log and /var/log/mail.err
  • Let’s Encrypt: /var/log/letsencrypt/letsencrypt.log
  • Auth/SSH: /var/log/auth.log
  • Syslog: /var/log/syslog

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Troubleshooting

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Log File Not Found

# Check if service is running
sudo systemctl status nginx
sudo systemctl status php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Check if access log is enabled
sudo log example.com -access-log=on

# For WordPress debug, enable it first
sudo log example.com -wp=on

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Empty Log File

If log exists but shows “Log File is Empty”: 
[Log File is Empty] Waiting to receive some data, you will see it in real-time here...
This is normal - the command waits for new log entries.

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Permission Denied

All log commands require sudo: 
# Wrong
log example.com

# Correct
sudo log example.com

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High Disk Usage

# Find large log files
sudo du -sh /var/log/nginx/*
sudo du -sh /var/log/mysql/*

# Purge old compressed logs
sudo log -purge=force

# Disable access logging if needed
sudo log example.com -access-log=off

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Notes

  • All commands require sudo (root privileges)
  • Logs are displayed in real-time using tail -f
  • Press Ctrl+C to stop viewing logs
  • Compressed (.gz) logs are created by logrotate
  • MySQL logs require restart when enabling/disabling
  • WordPress debug logs can grow large - monitor size
  • Use -help to see all available options

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See Also

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