Got Tired of SSHing Into My Server Just to View Logs
Even though, I completed my degree in CS still I call my self a self-learned developer. And that’s one of the reasons that I was never confident about the approches I used to solve a problem. Be it Deploying a webapp on Server Connecting Domain to an ip Planning backup Mechanism for applications Apart from above common confusions I also used to have this weird confusion about the Logs for an…
Even after completing a degree in computer science, the reporter remains a self-taught developer, unsure of their approach to solving problems. The reporter has faced numerous confusions, including correctly interpreting and tracking application logs. They grappled with various methods, such as SSHing into the server, using Systemd, PM2, Nohup, and Tmux.
The reporter found Tmux particularly useful for managing multiple terminal sessions. However, they struggled with logging in and out of the server repeatedly. This led them to search for a solution to view logs directly on the browser. They explored various log viewers but found none suitable for their needs.
Eventually, they discovered frontail, a web-based log viewer, which allowed them to stream logs from their server directly to their browser. Using frontail, the reporter could attach it to a log file and view the logs in real-time. However, they encountered limitations with frontail, especially when it came to tracking multiple projects and assigning readable aliases to log files. To overcome these challenges, the reporter set out to create a simpler, more versatile log viewer named Ezlog.
Ezlog provides a seamless web-based log viewing experience with several key features: 1. Tracking multiple project log files, with each project viewable in its own tab. 2. Aliases for log files, enabling users to assign a friendly name to a log file for easier reference. 3. A simple CLI interface for adding, removing, and listing tracked log files. 4. Starting and stopping the log viewer server, eliminating the need to find and manually stop the log viewer's process.
The reporter believes that Ezlog will be a valuable tool for both solo developers and teams, although teams may benefit more from established log management solutions like Sentry. As a developer who balances multiple projects, Ezlog provides the functionality and usability the reporter and their colleagues need to manage their log files efficiently.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
