How to check cPanel logs

cPanel logs refer to the various log files generated by the cPanel control panel and associated services on a web hosting server. These logs are instrumental in monitoring server activity, diagnosing issues, and troubleshooting problems related to website hosting, server administration, email services, FTP, databases, and more

In a cPanel environment, various logs are generated to monitor different aspects of the server and hosting accounts. Here’s an overview of the main logs associated with different services within cPanel:

Apache Logs:

1. Access Logs: Record details of every request made to the server, including IP addresses, requested files, HTTP status codes, etc. Locations:
   >> Main access log: /etc/apache2/logs/access_log
   >> Individual domain access logs: /usr/local/apache/domlogs/[domain_name]
2. Error Logs: Capture errors encountered during Apache operations, aiding in debugging website issues. Locations:
   >> Main error log: /etc/apache2/logs/error_log
   >> Individual domain error logs: /usr/local/apache/domlogs/[domain_name]error_log

Email Logs:

1. Exim Mail Server Logs: Track mail transactions and delivery attempts.
   >> Main log: /var/log/exim_mainlog
   >> SMTP outgoing connections: /var/log/exim_rejectlog
2. Mail Delivery Logs: Document mail deliveries and failures.
   >>/var/log/maillog or /var/log/mail.log

FTP Logs:

1. Pure-FTPd Logs: Record FTP transactions and user activities.
   >> Transaction logs: /var/log/messages or /var/log/syslog
   >> Account-specific logs: /var/log/pureftpd.log

MySQL Logs:

1. MySQL Error Log: Contains errors and warnings encountered by the MySQL server.
   >> Error log location: /var/lib/mysql/[hostname].err
2. MySQL Slow Query Log: Logs queries that take longer than a specified time to execute.
   >> Location: Usually specified in MySQL configuration (my.cnf). Commonly /var/lib/mysql/[hostname]-slow.log

WHM (Web Host Manager) Logs:

1. cPanel Error Logs: Record errors and warnings related to WHM/cPanel operations.
   >> Location: /usr/local/cpanel/logs/error_log
2. cPanel Access Logs: Document access to WHM/cPanel.
   >> Location: /usr/local/cpanel/logs/access_log
3. WHM Services Status Logs: Display service status changes and server reboots. >> Location: /var/log/chkservd.log

Remember, log locations might vary based on the server configuration and software versions. Access to these logs within cPanel can also differ based on the hosting provider’s customization or specific cPanel themes. Generally, you can access most of these logs via the cPanel interface by navigating to the “Metrics” or “Logs” section.

If you’re unable to find logs via cPanel, you might need to access them directly using SSH (Secure Shell) or a file manager provided by your hosting provider.

CPanel Logs – Apache, Access, Email, Error, FTP, MySQL, WHM

cPanel uses a graphical interface to make web hosting super easy, but there are command line tools you could familiarize yourself with for advanced troubleshooting. cPanel logs most activity that happens on a server to log files so you can go back and review log entries for problems, instead of having to be on the server at the time of them happening.

In this guide we will see the locations of the cPanel log files for things such as access logs, Apache web server logs, email logs, error logs, ftp logs, MySQL logs, and WHM logs.

From the above image, you can see the log locations. However we will see the complete log lists and its location following by this image.

cPanel logs

cPanel access log

cPanel apache log

cPanel email log

MySQL log

MySQL can generate various types of logs that can be helpful for troubleshooting, performance monitoring, and auditing.

The logs can provide information on queries, errors, connections, and more. The types of logs and their configurations can be managed in the MySQL configuration file (my.cnf or my.ini).

From this you find where to begin looking if you suspect problems on your cPanel server.

We hope you’ve found this useful!!