EZLog - Simple Log Viewer for Linux Servers

A standalone, web-based log viewer with real-time streaming.

Features

• 📊 Real-time log streaming via WebSockets
• 📁 Track multiple logs with simple aliases
• 🗂️ Project grouping - group related logs under collapsible project sections
• 📂 Folder import - add all .log files from a folder as a project (ezlog add-folder)
• 🌐 Web interface for easy viewing
• 🚀 Standalone binary - no Python installation needed
• ⚡ Fast loading - shows last 500 lines instantly
• 🔄 Infinite scroll - loads history as you scroll up
• 🎯 Navigation buttons - jump to top/bottom quickly
• ⏸️ Pause/Resume - buffer logs while you read
• 🔍 Real-time filtering
• 🔎 Full-file search (press Enter in filter box)
• 🎨 Multiple themes (Dark, Light, Solarized)
• 📱 Mobile responsive
• 🔧 Simple CLI for log management
• 🔗 Route-based log tabs (/logs/<alias>)
• ✂️ Bulk remove (ezlog remove alias1 alias2 alias3)
• ⬆️ One-command self-upgrade (ezlog upgrade)

---

🚀 Quick Start (For Users)

Step 1: Download the latest version

Visit the releases page: https://github.com/legeRise/ezlog/releases

Or use command line:

cd ~/Downloads
wget https://github.com/legeRise/ezlog/releases/latest/download/ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz

Step 2: Extract the archive

tar -xzf ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz
cd ezlog-linux-x64

Step 3: Install system-wide

sudo ./install.sh

This will install ezlog to /usr/local/ezlog/ and make it available system-wide.

Step 4: Verify installation

Open a new terminal and run:

ezlog --help

If you see the help message, installation was successful.

Step 5: Clean up

Now that ezlog is installed system-wide, you can delete the download folder:

cd ~/Downloads
rm -rf ezlog-linux-x64
rm ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz

Step 6: Use ezlog

ezlog add myapp /var/log/myapp.log
ezlog list
ezlog start
# Open browser: http://localhost:9200

Step 7: Upgrade later (easy)

When a new release is available (v1.1.0+), just run:

ezlog upgrade

What it does:

• Downloads latest release tarball
• Compares installed binary vs downloaded binary
• Skips install if already up-to-date
• Stops running ezlog (if running), installs new release, restarts it
• Reuses last host/port automatically on restart

On v1.0.5 (pre-upgrade command)? Use this one-liner:

sudo curl -L https://github.com/legeRise/ezlog/releases/latest/download/ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xz -C /tmp && sudo /tmp/ezlog-linux-x64/install.sh && sudo rm -rf /tmp/ezlog-linux-x64

Or just reinstall from scratch following Steps 1-5.

Screenshot: Main view showing log list in sidebar

---

Auth

EZLog does not include built-in authentication. If you expose it on a server, put it behind Nginx Basic Auth.

First, create a password file:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2-utils -y
sudo htpasswd -c /etc/nginx/.ezlog_htpasswd yourusername

Then add Basic Auth inside the Nginx location block that proxies EZLog:

location / {
    auth_basic "EZLog";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.ezlog_htpasswd;

    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:9200;
}

Use HTTPS at the proxy when exposing EZLog beyond a trusted local network.

---

🛠️ Build from Source (For Developers)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/legerise/ezlog.git
   cd ezlog

2. (Optional) Bump the version number in cli.py:

   # Edit cli.py and change:
   EZLOG_VERSION = "1.0.5"   →   EZLOG_VERSION = "1.1.0"

3. Build the binary:

   chmod +x build.sh
   ./build.sh

   This creates dist/ezlog/ with the standalone binary.

4. Package for distribution:

   chmod +x package.sh
   ./package.sh

   This creates ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz — ready for GitHub Releases or sharing.

   Build workflow summary:

   Bump version in cli.py → ./build.sh → ./package.sh
   

   Notes:

   • build.sh compiles a fresh binary using PyInstaller.
   • package.sh does not compile; it only packages dist/ezlog into a tarball.
   • Always bump the version before building so the binary reports the correct version.

5. Install system-wide:

   sudo ./install.sh

   This installs the binary to /usr/local/ezlog/ and creates a symlink at /usr/local/bin/ezlog.

6. Create distribution tarball:

   chmod +x package.sh
   ./package.sh

   This creates ezlog-linux-x64.tar.gz for GitHub Releases or direct sharing.

---

📖 Usage

Example Scenario: Managing Multiple Project Logs

Let's say you're a developer working on a server with 5 different projects, each with their own log files in different locations:

/var/log/nginx/access.log
/home/user/myapp/logs/app.log
/opt/api-server/logs/api.log
/var/www/website/errors.log
/home/user/scripts/cron.log

Instead of remembering these long paths and using tail -f for each one, ezlog lets you organize them.

Step 1: Add logs with aliases

An alias is a short nickname you give to a log file. Instead of typing the full path, you use the alias.

# Syntax: ezlog add <alias> <full-path-to-log-file>

```bash
ezlog add nginx /var/log/nginx/access.log
ezlog add myapp /home/user/myapp/logs/app.log
ezlog add api /opt/api-server/logs/api.log
ezlog add website /var/www/website/errors.log
ezlog add cron /home/user/scripts/cron.log

After each command, you'll see:

Added nginx -> /var/log/nginx/access.log

Step 2: Verify logs are tracked

Check all tracked logs (grouped by project):

ezlog list

Output (flat aliases):

nginx           /var/log/nginx/access.log
myapp           /home/user/myapp/logs/app.log

Output (project-grouped using dot notation, e.g. project.sub_alias):

📁 myapp:
  • access             /var/log/nginx/access.log
  • api                /opt/api-server/logs/api.log

📁 website:
  • errors             /var/www/website/errors.log
  • cron               /home/user/scripts/cron.log

Now you can see all your logs and their aliases at a glance.

Step 3: Start ezlog

ezlog start

Output:

✅ Started ezlog in background (PID: 12345)
🌐 Visit http://0.0.0.0:9200
⏹️  Stop with: ezlog stop

Step 4: View logs in your browser

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:9200

You'll see a web interface with all your tracked logs listed. Click any alias (nginx, myapp, api, etc.) to view that log in real-time.

Tip: type in the filter box to filter currently loaded lines. Press Enter to search the entire file and show global matches.

Each selected log updates the URL to /logs/<alias>, so you can open different aliases in different tabs and share direct links.

Screenshot: Log file selected and displaying live logs

Screenshot: Scrolled to top of log file showing oldest entries

Managing Your Logs

Add a folder of logs (project grouping):

# Add all .log files from a folder as a project
ezlog add-folder /var/log/myapp/

# Custom project name
ezlog add-folder /var/log/myapp/ --project production

# Use a custom extension pattern
ezlog add-folder /var/log/nginx/ --pattern "*.access.log"

# Include ALL files (not just .log)
ezlog add-folder /var/log/myapp/ --all

# Short flags
ezlog add-folder /var/log/myapp/ -p myapp -a

All files are added as project.filename (e.g. myapp.app, myapp.error).
In the web UI, they appear grouped under a collapsible project section.

Update a log path:

# If your log file moves to a new location
ezlog update myapp /home/user/newpath/app.log

Remove logs (single, bulk, or by project):

# Remove a single log
ezlog remove myapp.api

# Remove multiple logs at once
ezlog remove myapp.api myapp.error myapp.cron

# Remove an entire project group
ezlog remove --project myapp
ezlog remove --project myapp --yes     # Skip confirmation

Remove all tracked logs (with confirmation):

ezlog clear
# or non-interactive
ezlog clear --yes

Check tracked logs health (missing paths):

ezlog check
ezlog check --missing-only

Prune dead aliases automatically:

ezlog prune
ezlog prune --project myapp      # Scope to a project
# or non-interactive
ezlog prune --yes

Custom port and host:

# Run on a different port
ezlog start --port 8000

# Run on localhost only (more secure)
ezlog start --port 9200 --host 127.0.0.1

Process management:

ezlog version         # Show version + install details
ezlog status          # Check if running
ezlog stop            # Stop background process
ezlog start           # Start in background
ezlog run             # Run in foreground (for debugging)
ezlog upgrade         # Auto-download and install latest release

Upgrade options:

ezlog upgrade --check-only               # Only check if update exists
ezlog upgrade --yes                       # Non-interactive
ezlog upgrade --no-restart                # Install only
ezlog upgrade --port 9200 --host 0.0.0.0 # Restart target

Where is tracking data stored?

All your tracked logs are saved in: ~/.ezlog/tracked_logs.json

This means each user on the system can track their own logs independently.

Requirements

• Build time: Python 3.9+, pip, PyInstaller
• Runtime: None! The binary is completely standalone

How it works

1. Track log files with aliases
2. Start the web server (runs in background)
3. View logs in real-time through your browser
4. WebSocket streams new log lines as they're written
5. Scroll up to load history in 500-line chunks
6. Use navigation buttons to jump to top/bottom
7. Pause to read, resume to continue streaming

Uninstall

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/ezlog
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/ezlog
rm -rf ~/.ezlog  # Optional: removes tracked log config

Development

Run in development mode:

pip install -r requirements.txt
python cli.py run --port 9200

License

MIT