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logs

The logs directory contains access, error, and service-related logs that help you understand request flow and failures.

What logs usually answer​

  • did the server start correctly?
  • is a request reaching the expected site?
  • is PHP failing?
  • is a permission or SSL path broken?
  • are clients hitting the server the way you expect?

Why beginners should care early​

Many new administrators wait until an outage to learn the logs. That is too late. You should learn where logs live before you need them, so diagnosis during pressure becomes faster and calmer.

Typical uses​

  • Inspect startup or reload problems
  • Confirm rewrite or permission issues
  • Review traffic patterns and status codes

Operational caution​

Logs are diagnostic gold, but they also grow. Busy servers can produce large access logs quickly, especially behind public-facing applications.

What to check regularly​

  • whether log files are growing unusually fast
  • whether error logs show repeated warnings
  • whether access logs show the expected client IP pattern
  • whether rotation is actually occurring

Good practice​

Monitor growth and rotate logs so disk usage does not become a hidden production problem.