View website access logs in Plesk and cPanel

Within Plesk’s Apache logs browser feature, there are a few different types of Apache logs. Each log type has a distinct purpose and if utilised correctly can help troubleshoot any server problems that might arise. You might be trying to track down why a site suddenly went down. Checking the log type below will determine the cause. Apache error (error_log). This log contains diagnostic information. It also records any errors that the Apache web server encounters in processing requests.

Access logs in Plesk

For a full list of the different log types available please visit Plesk’s information page.

1. Log into your Plesk control panel, you can do this directly via the URL or from your client area.

2. From your control panel, click Websites & Domains.

Websites and Domains in Plesk — Websites & Domains

3. Each domain within your Plesk subscription should be separated, each with its own Logs icon. For your intended domain, click the logs icon.

Logs shown in Plesk domain area — Logs area in Plesk domains area.

4. This will show all the log entries selected logs.

5. You can manage the shown logs via the drop-down menu. However, in most cases this won’t be required.

Log view with drown menu — Logs drop-down Menu

Access Logs in cPanel

cPanel offers logs through the Raw Access tool in the metrics section. Logs are displayed in a table and reference every domain on that cPanel account.

With both SSL and non-SSL versions shown. There are also, archived versions of these logs available you can see these in monthly increments, contained within tar.gz files.

1. Firstly, log in to your cPanel control panel and navigate to the metrics section.

2. Once you are in the Metrics area, click Raw Access.