Log Settings

Learning Focus

By the end of this lesson you will know how to configure access and error log paths, verbosity levels, and rotation to keep operational visibility without filling the disk.

Log Types

Log	Default Path	Purpose
Server Error Log	/usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log	Server errors, config issues, runtime warnings
Access Log	/usr/local/lsws/logs/access.log	Every HTTP request with status, size, timing
stderr Log	/usr/local/lsws/logs/stderr.log	PHP fatal errors, external app output

Error Log Levels

Level	When to Use
ERROR	Production default — only errors
WARNING	Investigating intermittent issues
NOTICE	General operational monitoring
INFO	Detailed operational output
DEBUG	Active troubleshooting only — very verbose

warning

High debug levels on busy servers generate massive log output and increase disk I/O. Only enable DEBUG temporarily during active troubleshooting.

Configuring in WebAdmin

1. Navigate to Server Configuration → Log
2. Set Log Level to ERROR for production
3. Configure Access Log path and format
4. Set Rolling Size for automatic log rotation
5. Save and Graceful Restart

Log Rotation

# Check current log sizes
du -sh /usr/local/lsws/logs/*

# OpenLiteSpeed can rotate automatically based on file size
# Configure "Rolling Size" in WebAdmin (e.g., 100MB)

# Or use system logrotate
cat > /etc/logrotate.d/openlitespeed << 'EOF'
/usr/local/lsws/logs/*.log {
    daily
    missingok
    rotate 14
    compress
    notifempty
    postrotate
        /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart
    endscript
}
EOF

Key Takeaways

• Use ERROR level in production, temporary DEBUG for troubleshooting.
• Configure log rotation to prevent disk exhaustion on busy servers.
• The error log is your primary diagnostic tool — learn to read it quickly.

What's Next

• Return to the Server Configuration module for the complete overview.