On Linux VPS, critical logs live in /var/log/. Key files: syslog or messages for system events, auth.log for login attempts, kern.log for kernel messages. Web server logs: /var/log/nginx/ or /var/log/apache2/ with separate access and error logs. Database logs: MySQL at /var/log/mysql/error.log, PostgreSQL at /var/log/postgresql/. Familiarize yourself with these locations before you need them in an emergency.
Essential Log Files
On Linux VPS, critical logs live in /var/log/. Key files: syslog or messages for system events, auth.log for login attempts, kern.log for kernel messages. Web server logs: /var/log/nginx/ or /var/log/apache2/ with separate access and error logs. Database logs: MySQL at /var/log/mysql/error.log, PostgreSQL at /var/log/postgresql/. Familiarize yourself with these locations before you need them in an emergency.
Common Issues from Logs
High CPU? Check syslog for runaway processes and OOM killer events. Website errors? Web server error logs reveal PHP fatal errors, permission issues, and misconfigurations. Security concerns? auth.log shows failed SSH attempts — hundreds from unfamiliar IPs means you’re being brute-forced. Disk full? syslog shows write failures, and often the logs themselves are consuming all space. Use journalctl --disk-usage to check journal size.
Automated Log Monitoring
Don’t wait for problems — set up proactive monitoring. Logwatch sends daily summaries, Fail2ban blocks malicious IPs based on log patterns. For advanced monitoring, consider Grafana Loki or the ELK stack for centralized log aggregation. Configure logrotate to prevent logs from filling your disk. With Velox Media’s custom solutions for demanding workloads, you have a solid foundation — these monitoring practices help you stay ahead of issues.
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