Logs are one of the fastest ways to understand what is happening on a website. In Plesk, the built-in log viewer lets you inspect recent activity, errors, and requests without accessing the server over SSH.
This is especially useful on environments managed through Plesk-hosting where site-level diagnostics need to be quick and accessible.
When Log Review Is Useful
Checking logs helps when:
- Pages return unexpected errors
- Visitors report access problems
- You need to trace suspicious requests
- You want to verify traffic or application behavior
Regular log review can significantly reduce troubleshooting time.
Viewing Logs
Stap 1: Open the Logs page
Log in op het Plesk-controlepaneel.
Vanuit de linkerzijbalk, klikken Websites & Domeinen.
If multiple domains exist, scroll to the relevant domain and click Logs.
[Schermafbeelding: Websites & Domains section with Logs option]
The Logs page opens and displays the most recent entries.
Stap 2: Select log types
By default, all available logs are shown. These typically include:
- Web server access logs
- SSL/TLS access logs
- Error logs
Use the log type dropdown to enable or disable specific logs as needed.
[Schermafbeelding: Log type selection dropdown]
Filtering Log Entries
Filtering allows you to narrow results and focus on relevant data.
Filter by date and time
Gebruik de From field to select the earliest date and time to include.
Klikken Apply to activate the filter, of Clear to remove it.
[Schermafbeelding: Date and time filter controls]
Filter by visitor IP address
Enter a full or partial IP address in the Ip veld.
Partial values match any entry containing that sequence, which can help identify traffic from a subnet.
[Schermafbeelding: IP address filter]
Filter by HTTP status code
Enter a full or partial HTTP status code in the Code veld.
Bijvoorbeeld, binnenkomen 5 will display most server error responses, along with any codes that contain the digit.
[Schermafbeelding: HTTP status code filter]
Filter by HTTP message
Gebruik de Message field to search request details such as methods or paths.
Entering more specific text helps avoid unrelated matches.
[Schermafbeelding: HTTP message filter]
You can combine multiple filters to refine results further.
Viewing the Most Recent Activity
The Logs page offers two update methods:
- Start real-time updates continuously refreshes the view as new entries appear
- Refresh updates the list once without enabling live updates
Real-time viewing is helpful during active testing or incident investigation.
[Schermafbeelding: Real-time updates and Refresh buttons]
Praktische opmerkingen
- Use filters to avoid reviewing unnecessary log noise
- Be careful when sharing logs, as they may contain sensitive data
- Regular log checks are recommended on production sites
For high-traffic websites running on cloud-servers of speciale server omgevingen, logs are an essential part of ongoing monitoring and security review.