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On Ubuntu, Apache writes request records to /var/log/apache2/access.log and server diagnostics to /var/log/apache2/error.log unless a virtual host overrides those destinations. Use CustomLog for requests and ErrorLog for errors, then let logrotate rename, compress and retain old files. A reload in logrotate’s postrotate block is essential: without it, Apache can continue writing to the renamed file through its existing open file handle.
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This guide shows a complete per-site setup, a safe rotation policy, validation and recovery steps, and when Apache’s piped rotatelogs is a better fit.
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Know what Apache is logging and where
Ubuntu’s packaged Apache configuration uses two main destinations:
| Purpose | Default Ubuntu path | Directive that overrides it |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP requests, status codes, bytes and other transfer fields | /var/log/apache2/access.log |
CustomLog |
| Startup messages, warnings, module errors and request-processing errors | /var/log/apache2/error.log |
ErrorLog |
The defaults apply when a virtual host does not define its own destinations. A site-specific directive is useful when several domains share a server: each site can have separate files for incident investigation, traffic analysis and retention.
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CustomLog controls request records
The directive takes a destination followed by a log format. The common Ubuntu example uses the built-in combined format:
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_access.log combined${APACHE_LOG_DIR} expands to Ubuntu’s Apache log directory, normally /var/log/apache2. The format determines which request fields are written; combined is the conventional choice when you need standard client, request, referrer and user-agent information.
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An error destination has no format argument:
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_error.logApache writes diagnostic messages there according to its configured log level. Keep access and error records separate so a burst of requests does not hide startup or application-proxy failures.
Piped logging is a different mode
If the value begins with a vertical bar (|), Apache starts a logging program and sends records to it instead of opening an ordinary file itself. This is how the rotatelogs alternative works. Piped logging changes the process, permissions and failure considerations, so do not add the bar to a normal filename.
Assign separate files to an Ubuntu virtual host
1. Edit the site definition
Virtual-host files live in /etc/apache2/sites-available/. Edit the file for the domain, or create one such as example.conf:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_access.log combined
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_error.log
</VirtualHost>Place the directives inside the relevant <VirtualHost> block. The two paths may be changed to another directory, but that directory must exist and have permissions that allow Apache to open the files. Keeping them under ${APACHE_LOG_DIR} makes Ubuntu’s standard log policies and administration tools easier to apply.
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2. Enable the site when necessary
If this is a new or disabled site, enable it with:
sudo a2ensite example.confIf the file was already enabled, this command is harmlessly redundant; the important point is that Apache must load the file from sites-enabled.
3. Validate before touching the running service
Run Apache’s configuration test:
sudo apache2ctl configtestProceed only when the result is Syntax OK. A misspelled directive, an invalid path or a malformed virtual-host block can otherwise make a reload fail.
4. Reload, do not stop, Apache
Apply the valid configuration without interrupting existing connections:
sudo systemctl reload apache2A reload also causes Apache to reopen log files. This matters after logrotate renames the active file, as described below.
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5. Watch both files while generating a request
Use two terminals, or follow both paths in one command:
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/example_access.log /var/log/apache2/example_error.logRequest http://example.com/ in a browser or with a suitable HTTP client. A successful request should add a line to the access file. Configuration or upstream failures should appear in the error file; an empty error file is normal when no error has occurred.
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Choose a rotation policy that matches the service
Ubuntu’s normal external mechanism is logrotate. Its policies are read from files under /etc/logrotate.d/ in addition to the main configuration. A policy can rotate on a calendar interval or a size threshold, compress old files, retain a chosen number, and run commands after the rename.
Frequency and retention are operational decisions
- Daily: useful for busy sites where a day’s records would become large or difficult to search.
- Weekly or monthly: reduces the number of archive files on low-traffic systems.
- Size-based: appropriate when traffic is bursty and file size matters more than a calendar boundary.
- Retention count: balance disk capacity, incident-response needs and any legal or contractual retention requirement. The example below keeps 14 rotations; that is not a universal recommendation.
Compression saves space but adds decompression work when investigating old events. delaycompress leaves the newest rotated file uncompressed for one cycle, which can be convenient when another process still needs immediate access.
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Place a policy in a file under /etc/logrotate.d/, using a name that does not create a duplicate rule for the same files. Ubuntu installations often include an Apache policy already; inspect existing files before adding another glob so one log is not rotated twice.
/var/log/apache2/*.log {
daily
missingok
rotate 14
compress
delaycompress
notifempty
sharedscripts
postrotate
systemctl reload apache2 > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
endscript
}What each directive does
| Directive | Effect | Reason to keep or change it |
|---|---|---|
daily |
Checks the files every day for rotation. | Change to weekly, monthly or a size rule when that better matches traffic. |
missingok |
Does not report an error when a matching file is absent. | Useful when a virtual host has not produced a log yet or a site is temporarily disabled. |
rotate 14 |
Keeps 14 older rotations before removing the oldest. | Set this from storage and retention requirements, not by copying the example blindly. |
compress |
Compresses older rotated files. | Reduces disk use; tools must read compressed archives when investigating history. |
delaycompress |
Defers compression of the most recent rotated file until the next cycle. | Can help processes that briefly need the newest archive as an ordinary file. |
notifempty |
Skips rotation for an empty log. | Avoids creating meaningless archives for quiet sites. |
sharedscripts |
Runs the script once for the whole matched set rather than once per file. | Prevents multiple Apache reloads when access and error files rotate together. |
postrotate … endscript |
Runs the enclosed command after renaming the files. | The reload tells Apache to open the new active paths. |
If you use a custom directory or add a create directive, verify the resulting owner, group and mode. A newly created file that Apache cannot write will stop fresh records even though the service itself remains running.
Test logrotate without losing data
Preview the policy
Use debug mode to parse the complete configuration and show what would happen:
sudo logrotate --debug /etc/logrotate.confThe manpage specifies that --debug makes no changes. It is the safest first check for a path glob, syntax error or unexpected duplicate policy.
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Force one intentional rotation
To exercise the rename, compression and reload path immediately:
sudo logrotate --force /etc/logrotate.conf--force rotates even when logrotate’s state says the files are not yet due. Use it deliberately on a production host because it creates archives and triggers the postrotate action.
Verify the active file after rotation
- Force or wait for a real rotation.
- Generate a fresh request:
curl -I http://example.com/- Inspect names, timestamps and sizes:
sudo ls -lh /var/log/apache2/- Confirm that the new active file contains the request:
sudo tail -n 5 /var/log/apache2/example_access.logThe active file should continue growing, while the renamed archive should stop changing. Compressed archives normally have a compression suffix after the applicable delay.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the postrotate reload is mandatory
Renaming a pathname does not automatically change a process’s open file descriptor. Apache can continue writing to the old inode after logrotate has moved it to an archive name. The apparent symptom is that the new example_access.log stays empty while the rotated file keeps increasing.
Apache’s logging guidance explicitly requires a reload (or an equivalent signal) in logrotate’s postrotate script. The example uses:
systemctl reload apache2 > /dev/null 2>&1 || trueThe redirection keeps routine output out of cron notifications. || true prevents a transient reload error from making the entire rotation job report failure; it should not be used as a substitute for monitoring. If reloads are failing, run the command manually and inspect the service status and journal.
Diagnose a file that keeps receiving new lines
- List the directory and compare the modification times of the active and rotated files.
- Check that the policy actually matches the path used by the virtual host. A site writing to
/var/log/apache2/example_access.logis not covered by a policy that names only another directory. - Run
sudo systemctl reload apache2manually. - Send a new request and watch the intended active file with
tail -f. - If the old file still grows, inspect for another Apache process, a second virtual-host directive, or a piped logger. Do not delete the growing archive until you have identified its writer.
Use rotatelogs when Apache should own the rotation stream
Apache also supplies rotatelogs, which receives piped log records and creates new files after an elapsed interval or size threshold. Ubuntu documentation shows time-based rotation at 86,400 seconds (one day), local-midnight naming, and a 5-megabyte threshold.
Time-based example
CustomLog "|/usr/bin/rotatelogs /var/log/apache2/example_access.log 86400" combinedThe leading pipe makes this a program command. The 86,400-second value requests daily elapsed-time rotation; the resulting filenames include the time information supplied by rotatelogs.
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ErrorLog "|/usr/bin/rotatelogs /var/log/apache2/example_error.log 5M"Here the threshold is 5 megabytes. Apply the same care to the command path and directory permissions as with ordinary files.
Decide between the two approaches
| Requirement | logrotate with ordinary files |
Piped rotatelogs |
|---|---|---|
| Rotation trigger | Calendar or policy-based size checks. | Elapsed time or file-size threshold handled by the logger. |
| Compression and retention | Provides standard compression, delayed compression and retention counts. | Not supplied by the basic command examples; arrange separate archival management if required. |
| Service integration | Fits Ubuntu’s shared logrotate administration and uses a postrotate reload. | Apache manages a logging pipe continuously. |
| Best fit | Hosts that standardize permissions, retention and compression across services. | Deployments that specifically want Apache-managed time or size thresholds. |
This is an operational choice, not a requirement to use both. Do not put the same logical stream through an ordinary-file logrotate rule and a piped logger at the same time.
Security, privacy and permissions
Protect the log directory
Write access to an Apache log directory is security-sensitive. Restrict directory ownership and mode to the service account and authorized administrators. A user who can replace or alter a log destination may influence what Apache executes or erase evidence, depending on the surrounding configuration.
Avoid collecting secrets by default
Access logs can contain URLs, query strings, referrers and user-agent data. Do not deliberately log passwords, authorization headers, session tokens or unnecessary personal data. If a reviewed requirement demands sensitive fields, define who may read them, how long they are retained and how archives are protected.
Check every new archive
After the first rotation, inspect both active and archived files. Confirm that Apache can append to the active file, that archive permissions do not expose data to unrelated users, and that compression did not move files outside the expected directory. Custom create settings deserve particular attention because they determine the mode and ownership of newly created logs.
Troubleshooting by symptom
No access lines appear after changing the virtual host
- Run
sudo apache2ctl configtestand correct any syntax error. - Confirm the site is enabled with
a2ensiteand that the request reaches the expectedServerName. - Reload Apache after the edit.
- Check that the directory exists and is writable by Apache.
- Verify that the request is using the exact filename configured in
CustomLog.
The error file is empty
An empty error file does not indicate failure; it may simply mean no server error has occurred. Generate a harmless request and inspect Apache’s service status if you suspect a startup problem. Do not move diagnostics into the access file merely to make the error file nonempty.
Rotation runs but the active file is not updated
Check the postrotate reload first. Then verify that the policy’s glob includes every custom filename. If Apache uses a pipe, ordinary file rotation will not control that stream; inspect the rotatelogs command instead.
Quick Recap
Disk usage keeps rising
- Check whether compression is enabled and whether
delaycompressis behaving as expected. - Review the number of retained rotations and the actual traffic volume.
- Look for logs outside
/var/log/apache2, including custom directories. - Inspect for a process still writing to an old renamed file.
Operational checklist
- Define
CustomLogandErrorLoginside the correct virtual host. - Use paths covered by exactly one intended rotation policy.
- Run
sudo apache2ctl configtestbefore every reload. - Apply changes with
sudo systemctl reload apache2. - Use
logrotate --debugto preview policy behavior. - Include an Apache reload in
postrotateafter external renames. - Force a test rotation only when you are prepared for archive creation.
- Send a fresh request and verify that the new active file grows.
- Review archive ownership, modes, compression and retention against operational and legal requirements.
- Keep secrets and unnecessary personal data out of logs.
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