Documentation (main)
Our cheatsheet for diagnosing common WordPress emergencies.
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Diagnosing Logs (site & server)

Checkout logs to diagnose issues with your site, server, or things running super slow. You can download logs through our BP interface or directly via SSH/SFTP (best for larger log files as downloading them through the browser could crash the server).

WARNING:

  • Downloading large log files (over 500mb) through the browser can hog all the memory and crash the server.
  • It’s better to download them via SFTP, or read them from SSH/command-line.

Server Logs

Server settings > Linux TAB > Download Logs. Usually in /var/log directoy.

  • OpenLiteSpeed Access Log – /usr/local/lsws/logs – this is to see…
  • OpenLiteSpeed Error Log – /usr/local/lsws/logs
  • MYSQL Error Log –
  • Site WP Backup Logs –
  • Full Server WP Back Logs –
  • SYSLog –
  • Unattended Upgrades Summary Log –
  • Unattended Upgrades Summary Log –
  • Recently installed or removed packages –
  • REDIS Log (works) – /var/log/redis/redis-server.log
  • PHP FPM Logs –
  • Authorization Log – /var/log/auth.log
  • Server Status Callback Log (works) –

Other options (for server logs):

  • grep CRON /var/log/syslog – to see cron entries in server syslog.
  • /var/spool/cron/crontabs/ – not a log, just a directory to see what cron-jobs are scheduled.

Site Logs

Site settings > Tools TAB > Application Logs.

  • debug.log – WordPress debug log, located in wp-content directory.
  • error_log – Located in log directory. (Currently only downloadable via SFTP.)
  • php_error_log – shows PHP errors, useful for identifying code issues with your site.
  • Located in log directory.
  • access_log – records data for all requests processed by the web server. Go here to see what pages are requested the most. Useful for speed optimization or identifying DDOS attacks. Located in log directory. (Currently only downloadable via SFTP.)
  • For Future Use – ignore this.

WordPress Debug Log

  • The WordPress debug log is used to log or display errors (on the site. Useful for diagnosing broken sites or code errors.
  • WordPress has several options on how to use debug mode, displaying errors, and logging errors.
  • Enabling WordPress Debug Log in BP turns on debug mode and debug logging, leaving bug-display OFF. The debug.log file is stored in wp-content directory and can be downloaded from BP or via FTP.
  • Disabling WordPress Debug Log in BP turns off debug mode and debug logging, but leaves debug.log file (which you should remove for security).
  • You can also manually enable WP debug log by choosing your desired settings in wp-config.php.