On Ubuntu, Apache normally writes requests to /var/log/apache2/access.log and server errors to /var/log/apache2/error.log. Configure per-site destinations with CustomLog and ErrorLog, rotate those files with logrotate, and reload Apache in the rotation’s postrotate action. Without that reload, Apache can continue writing to the renamed file through its existing open file handle.
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Where Apache logs are stored on Ubuntu
A stock Ubuntu Apache installation uses two principal log files:
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| Log | Default path | What it contains | Per-virtual-host directive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer/access log | /var/log/apache2/access.log |
HTTP requests handled by Apache, including the client request and response activity recorded by the selected log format. | CustomLog |
| Error log | /var/log/apache2/error.log |
Server errors and diagnostic messages. | ErrorLog |
Ubuntu’s packaged configuration also exposes the APACHE_LOG_DIR variable, which points to the Apache log directory in the standard layout. Using ${APACHE_LOG_DIR} in a virtual-host file keeps the path aligned with that layout while still allowing each site to have separate files.
The global defaults apply when a virtual host does not specify its own destinations. A virtual host can replace either destination independently, so a site may have a custom access log while continuing to use the global error log, or define both custom files.
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How CustomLog and ErrorLog work
CustomLog records requests
CustomLog selects the file or logging process for HTTP request records. Its usual form contains a destination followed by a log-format name. The combined format is commonly used because it records the standard request fields plus useful client and referrer information. The format itself controls which fields are written; changing the destination does not change the fields.
ErrorLog records server diagnostics
ErrorLog selects where Apache writes warnings, startup diagnostics, module errors and other server messages. It does not replace request logging. If you configure only ErrorLog, requests still go to the applicable CustomLog destination; if you configure only CustomLog, errors still go to the applicable error log.
Piped logging
When the value begins with a pipe character (|), Apache starts a logging process and sends log records to it instead of opening a normal file directly. This is the mechanism used by Apache’s rotatelogs utility. Piped logging changes the process and failure model, so choose it deliberately rather than mixing it with ordinary file rotation for the same destination.
Configure separate logs for a virtual host
Put the logging directives in the virtual-host definition that serves the site. For example, create or edit /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.conf:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_access.log combined
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example_error.log
</VirtualHost>The two files in this example are independent of the default access.log and error.log. The names are arbitrary; use names that make the site and purpose obvious, especially on a host serving many domains.
Enable, validate and reload the site
-
Enable the virtual-host file if it is not already enabled:
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Check the complete Apache configuration before changing the running service:
sudo apache2ctl configtestA successful check reports
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Apply the configuration without stopping active connections:
sudo systemctl reload apache2 -
Watch both new files while making a request:
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/example_access.log /var/log/apache2/example_error.log
Use the hostname that resolves to this virtual host when testing. A request sent to a different host name, address or port can be handled by another virtual host and therefore appear in another log.
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Before adding rotation, establish that the destinations and virtual-host selection are correct. Keep a terminal running with tail -f, then issue a request from another terminal:
curl -I http://example.com/The access log should receive a new request line. A normal response does not necessarily produce an error-log entry, so an unchanged error log is not by itself a problem. To investigate an error, reproduce the failing request and watch the error file at the same time.
If neither file changes, check the following in order:
- Confirm that the site is enabled and that
apache2ctl configtestsucceeds. - Confirm that the request’s host name matches the
ServerNameor another name served by the intended virtual host. - Check that the destination directory exists and that Apache can open the files.
- Inspect the main error log for a message about an invalid directive, an unavailable path or a permission failure.
Configure automatic rotation with logrotate
Ubuntu’s normal external rotation mechanism is logrotate. A policy file under /etc/logrotate.d/ defines when Apache logs are renamed, whether older files are compressed, how many generations remain and what action Apache must take afterward.
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/var/log/apache2/*.log {
daily
missingok
rotate 14
compress
delaycompress
notifempty
sharedscripts
postrotate
systemctl reload apache2 > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
endscript
}This example is a starting policy, not a universal retention recommendation. It evaluates the matching logs daily, keeps 14 rotated generations, compresses older generations, skips compression for the most recently rotated file, ignores files that do not exist, and avoids creating an empty archive. The wildcard includes custom virtual-host files stored in the same directory, so review the match if some logs require a different policy.
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What each important directive does
| Directive | Effect | Operational consideration |
|---|---|---|
daily |
Checks the policy on a daily schedule. | weekly, monthly and size-based policies are also possible when they better match traffic and storage limits. |
rotate 14 |
Keeps 14 rotated generations before older ones are removed. | Set the count from disk capacity, traffic, incident-response needs and legal retention requirements. |
compress |
Compresses older rotated files. | Compression saves space but adds decompression work when reading archives. |
delaycompress |
Leaves the newest rotated file uncompressed until the next rotation. | This can make immediate inspection easier while still compressing older history. |
missingok |
Does not treat an absent matching file as an error. | Useful when a virtual host has not generated a log yet or a site is temporarily disabled. |
notifempty |
Skips rotation when a file is empty. | Prevents empty archives for inactive sites. |
sharedscripts |
Runs the block’s post-rotation script once rather than once per matched file. | One Apache reload is normally sufficient for all files in this block. |
postrotate … endscript |
Runs commands after the files have been renamed. | Use it to make Apache reopen its logs. |
The sample’s || true prevents a failed reload from causing the logrotate command itself to be reported as failed. That convenience can hide an operational problem, so check Apache’s service status and logs if a reload error is possible in your environment.
Choose frequency and retention deliberately
Rotation frequency is a capacity and response decision, not simply a default to copy. A busy server may need size-based rotation so a single day’s file cannot consume the disk. A lightly used server may retain useful history with weekly or monthly checks. Keep enough uncompressed or readily accessible history for routine diagnosis, and retain compressed archives only as long as your incident-response and legal requirements justify.
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Do not copy rotate 14 blindly. Fourteen daily generations represent a different time window from fourteen weekly generations, and neither value says how much disk space the actual traffic will consume.
Test and force a rotation safely
Dry-run the complete configuration
Use logrotate’s debug mode to inspect decisions without changing files:
sudo logrotate --debug /etc/logrotate.confThe debug option makes no changes. Review the output for the Apache policy, matched paths and any syntax or permission warnings before performing a real rotation.
Force one intentional rotation
To exercise the policy immediately, even when logrotate does not consider a rotation due, run:
sudo logrotate --force /etc/logrotate.confThe --force option is useful for validating a new policy or recovering from an operational event, but it can create an extra archive and compression cycle. Use it intentionally rather than as a routine schedule.
Verify the post-rotation state
After a real rotation, generate a fresh request and inspect both the directory and active file:
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sudo logrotate --force /etc/logrotate.conf
curl -I http://example.com/
sudo ls -lh /var/log/apache2/
sudo tail -n 5 /var/log/apache2/example_access.logThe directory should show the newly rotated generations, and the request made after rotation should appear in the new active file. The old file should stop growing once Apache has reopened the destination.
Why the reload in postrotate is essential
External rotation normally renames the active file and creates a new path. On Unix-like systems, renaming a file does not invalidate a process’s open file descriptor. Apache can therefore continue writing to the old inode even though the pathname now points to a new file. Disk usage rises in the renamed archive while the new active file remains empty or receives no records.
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For that reason, a policy that renames and compresses files but omits the reload is incomplete. If a reload fails, investigate it immediately; otherwise the apparent rotation can conceal continued writes to an old handle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Using Apache’s rotatelogs instead
rotatelogs is an Apache-managed alternative that works through piped logging. It can rotate by elapsed time or by file size. For example:
CustomLog "|/usr/bin/rotatelogs /var/log/apache2/example_access.log 86400" combined
ErrorLog "|/usr/bin/rotatelogs /var/log/apache2/example_error.log 5M"The first line requests rotation on an 86,400-second interval; the second uses a 5-megabyte threshold. Apache’s documentation also describes time-based naming at local midnight. The exact naming and threshold should match how operators search, archive and monitor the files.
With piped logging, Apache writes to the rotatelogs process rather than directly managing a regular file. Verify that the executable path exists, the service can write the destination directory and the resulting filenames are included in monitoring and retention procedures.
Choose one rotation owner for each log
| Consideration | logrotate |
rotatelogs |
|---|---|---|
| Where rotation is controlled | Host-level policy in /etc/logrotate.d/. |
Apache’s piped logging process. |
| Triggers | Scheduled checks and optional size-based policies. | Elapsed time or file-size thresholds supplied to the process. |
| Compression and retention | Provides compression, generation counts and removal in one policy. | Handles rotation; host-level retention and compression need separate consideration. |
| Reload behavior | Requires a reload in postrotate after external renaming. |
Does not use the same external-rename workflow because logging is piped. |
| Best fit | Hosts that standardize permissions, compression, retention and service reloads across many daemons. | Deployments that prefer Apache-managed piped logging and simple time or size thresholds. |
This is an operational choice rather than a requirement to use both. Do not point an external rotation policy at a file that is already being rotated by rotatelogs unless you have a specific, tested reason; two independent rotators can rename, compress or delete files unexpectedly.
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Troubleshoot common failures
Apache is still writing to the old rotated file
This almost always indicates that Apache did not reopen its logs. Confirm that the rotation block contains a working postrotate reload, then check the service and run a controlled rotation. After generating a request, compare the modification times and sizes of the new active file and the renamed archive. If the reload command failed, fix the configuration or service problem before relying on the next scheduled run.
No custom log file is created
First validate the configuration and confirm the virtual host is enabled. Then make a request with the correct host name. If Apache cannot open the destination, its error output normally identifies the path or permission problem. A typo in ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}, a missing directory or an inaccessible custom directory can all prevent the expected file from appearing.
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Apache chooses a virtual host from the request’s address, port and host header. If the test request matches another site, its CustomLog destination is the one that receives the record. Check the enabled site definitions and test with the exact host name configured for the intended site.
Rotation reports permission errors
Inspect ownership and mode on the log directory, active files and any custom directory. The rotation process must be able to rename and create files, while Apache must be able to reopen and append to the new destination. If you add a create directive, specify ownership and mode that permit Apache to write without granting unnecessary access.
Compression or retention does not look as expected
delaycompress intentionally leaves the newest archive uncompressed, so compression may not be visible until the next cycle. Also check whether the policy was actually due; a normal invocation does not rotate every file on every run. Use --debug to see the decision without changing state, and reserve --force for deliberate tests or recovery.
The configuration test fails after editing a site
Do not reload a configuration that fails apache2ctl configtest. Read the reported file and line, correct directive spelling, quoting, paths or virtual-host syntax, then run the test again. A successful test confirms syntax, not that the directory permissions or request routing are correct, so perform a live request afterward.
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Security and privacy controls
Restrict write access to Apache’s log directories to the service account and administrators. Apache documentation warns that broad write access to its log directory can have serious security consequences: an attacker who can alter or replace log destinations may hide activity or influence what the server opens.
Review the fields selected by each log format before enabling additional request data. Do not log passwords, authorization headers, session tokens or personal data unless there is a documented requirement, an access-control plan and a retention period that covers the resulting risk. Access to compressed archives deserves the same protection as access to active logs.
After changing a custom directory or adding create, verify ownership and mode after both an ordinary and a forced rotation. Check that administrators can investigate the archives, Apache can continue writing, and unrelated users cannot modify them.
A practical operating pattern
For most Ubuntu hosts, use ordinary file logging in each virtual host, keep the files under the standard Apache log directory, and manage rotation centrally with a policy in /etc/logrotate.d/. Validate the policy in debug mode, perform one controlled rotation, generate a request, and confirm that the new active file receives it. Keep the reload in postrotate so the pathname and Apache’s open handle stay synchronized.
Use rotatelogs when Apache-managed piped logging and a straightforward elapsed-time or size threshold fit the deployment better than host-level policy. Whichever method you choose, document the destination, trigger, retention, permissions and verification procedure for every virtual host so an incident responder can find current and historical records without guessing.
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