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Log Rotation

What is Log Rotation?

Log rotation is a critical feature for managing log files in long-running applications. It prevents log files from consuming excessive disk space and provides a clean, organized way to track application logs over time.

How Log Rotation Works in Logdy

When you use the --rotate-file-size argument, Logdy automatically manages your log files to ensure:

Automatic File Size Management

  • Logs are written to a primary log file
  • When the log file reaches the specified size limit, it is automatically "rotated"
  • The current log file is renamed and a new log file is created

Process-Safe Rotation

Logdy's log rotation is designed to be robust and safe, even if the application is unexpectedly stopped or restarted:

  • Ensures no log data is lost during rotation
  • Handles incomplete rotations gracefully
  • Maintains log file integrity across application restarts

Using Log Rotation

To enable log rotation, use the --rotate-file-size argument when starting Logdy:

TIP

You need to use --append-to-file option to start storing logs in a file

bash
logdy --append-to-file=logdy.log  --rotate-file-size 10M  # Rotate logs when they reach 10 megabytes

Benefits

  • Prevents individual log files from growing too large
  • Helps manage disk space efficiently
  • Provides a clean history of application logs
  • Ensures continuous logging without manual intervention

Example Rotation Scenario

  1. Start Logdy with --append-to-file=logdy.log --rotate-file-size 10M
  2. Logs are written to logdy.log
  3. When logdy.log reaches 10MB:
    • Current logdy.log is renamed to logdy.1.log
    • A new logdy.log is created for future logs

This process continues automatically, helping you maintain organized and manageable log files.