Sorting through a heap of a Apache logfiles is a major task for new and even expert Apache web admins. Usually you just open the logs inside \apache\logs directory and then read through the log using “vi” or “less” if you’re in Unix or using Notepad if you are working in Windows.
Those native tools are good, but they don’t help you in finding for warnings and errors. A better tool that I found for Apache log analysis task is a cheap software called ApHeMo from KC Softwares: http://www.kcsoftwares.com
At 14.99 Euro it is a good bargain since you get log filtering, color coding and tagging. The interface lets you open a log file either locally or directly from an FTP server:
The tabs filter the whole log so you can sift through the file easily. Clicking the “warnings” tab for example will let you see only warnings while clicking “full log” shows you everything.
When you click a tab you can see the number of rows for that tab. In the example below there is a 1 warning message:
As an admin, we need to somehow mark the event as already acted upon so that we can focus on new events. You can do this by clicking “Accept Selected”, which will turn the red color of the event to green:
Needless to say, if you need a tool to sort and organize your Apache logs, KC Software ApHeMo is a good choice. Even if you use a UNIX or Linux web server, you can always connect ApHeMo to the server using its built in FTP.
I hope this tip helps you debug and maintain your Apache servers more easily.
Ben shows you how it’s done.
I suggest another free tool to monitor your apache log files: Apache Logs Viewer http://www.apacheviewer.com
This free utility will display each log request and the country from where it originated. Filter functionality is available so that you can filter by Status code or IP Address.
You can also generate some pretty good reports (bar/pie charts) and also gather some useful statistics.