Loading...

Knowledge Base
Up to 75% off on hosting for WordPress websites and online stores

VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Log Location

For any VPS or Dedicated server, it is quite essential to know where your server logs are so you can troubleshoot and perform some maintenance. Bluehost has two primary directories for the log location: /usr/local/cpanel/logs and /var/log/. The latter contains a wide variety of logs that will be of help in monitoring the server's performance, pointing out problems, and keeping it running smoothly.


In this article, we'll discuss:


/usr/local/cpanel/logs

  • access_log: cPanel access log for both cPanel and WHM
  • cpbackup directory: logs of recent system backups
  • cphulkd.log: Firewall (cPHulk) blocks
  • error_log: cPanel error log
  • license_log: cPanel license log
  • login_log: cPanel user failed login log
  • stats_log: cPanel web stats log

/var/log/

  • messages: Contains global system messages like mail, cron, daemon, kern, auth, etc.
  • bandwidth: cPanel total bandwidth logs for the entire server
  • btmp: failed login attempts
  • chkservd.log: chkservd service log
  • clamav: clamav log directory
  • cron: any scheduled tasks for both root and cPanel users
  • cpupdate.log: cPanel update log
  • exim_mainlog: Exim email transaction log
  • exim_paniclog: Exim error log
  • exim_rejectlog: Exim rejected email log
  • maillog: Transaction and login log for all mail services
  • pgsql: PostgreSQL log file
  • secure: authentication logs for both successful or failed logins
  • yum.log: updates for system packages

Miscellaneous

  • /usr/local/apache/logs/error_log - Apache error log, e.g., some 500 errors.
  • /var/cpanel/accounting.log - Account creation, deletion, etc. 
  • /var/cpanel/logs/mysql_upgrade.log - logs of MySQL upgrades
  • /var/cpanel/updatelogs/ directory - cPanel/WHM updates
  • /var/lib/mysql/HOSTNAME.err - MySQL error log

cPanel keeps the domain weblogs in the /usr/local/cpanel/domlogs directory for each domain name that is hosted on the server. This includes FTP transfer logs for each account.

Summary

Knowing where all the logs are located on your VPS or Dedicated server is very important so that you can take swift action in case of issues. Regularly checking those logs in /usr/local/cpanel/logs and /var/log/ will save you from potential problems by keeping your server running perfectly. Whether you are a seasoned administrator or just taking up server management, this log is an essential instrument for ensuring optimal performance.

If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us via Chat or Phone:

  • Chat Support - While on our website, you should see a CHAT bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Click anywhere on the bubble to begin a chat session.
  • Phone Support -
    • US: 888-401-4678
    • International: +1 801-765-9400

You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.

Did you find this article helpful?

 
* Your feedback is too short

Loading...