What keeps a website running smoothly, even during peak traffic? Logging captures every server event—from user requests to system errors—while monitoring tracks critical metrics like speed and availability.
This guide offers a practical overview of server logging and monitoring systems, including setup steps and tool recommendations, to help web developers, site owners, and IT beginners optimize their infrastructure.
Logging records server activities, such as site visits or unauthorized access attempts, making it easier to troubleshoot crashes. Monitoring keeps an eye on infrastructure by tracking resource usage and availability.
Example: Hostiserver helped a client avoid downtime during a major sale by setting up alerts for server overload.
A slow server drags down search engine rankings.
By analyzing logs and monitoring performance, you can pinpoint and fix bottlenecks—like sluggish database queries.
Examples:
Enabling Logs:
Apache (httpd.conf):
LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b" common
CustomLog /var/log/apache2/access.log common
ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/error.log
Nginx (nginx.conf):
access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log;
error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log;
Centralizing Logs:
Use tools like rsyslog to aggregate logs from multiple servers.
Log Rotation Example (logrotate):
/var/log/apache2/*.log {
daily
rotate 7
compress
missingok
}
| Tool | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prometheus | Custom metrics | Free, highly flexible | Complex setup |
| Zabbix | Network monitoring | Free, detailed insights | Requires agent installation |
| New Relic | Application analysis | User-friendly interface | Paid service |
| Datadog | Cloud-based systems | Great integrations, fast alerts | Expensive for large projects |
Most tools can be deployed on Hostiserver with default or custom configurations.
Example (Datadog):
Trigger an alert if CPU usage exceeds 80% for 5 minutes. Send notifications via Slack or email.
Benefits:
input {
file {
path => "/var/log/apache2/access.log"
}
}
output {
elasticsearch {
hosts => ["localhost:9200"]
}
}
Use cAdvisor + Prometheus to track container performance, such as CPU and memory usage per container.
Server logging and monitoring are key to speed, stability, and strong SEO performance. Whether you run a blog or an online store, these practices will boost efficiency and keep users happy.