Apache Logs Viewer

Apache Logs Viewer is a program that lets you represent in a graphical manner all the information present in log files from Apache and IIS web servers.

It processes access and error log files and extracts information so you can create reports from fields such as IP, referrer, status or error codes, keywords, country, etc. You have to enable some fields in the web server configuration in order for the program to show them, obviously. For instance, Apache doesn't record the User Agent field by default, so you have to add the corresponding directive in the configuration file.

The GUI is somewhat easy and intuitive, at least for the most common tools. Menu options are pretty self-explanatory. Some basic knowledge about configuration directives and HTTP (web protocol) is required, though.

It is a useful tool for webmasters because it turns plain-text log files into graphic statistics that can be viewed, analyzed, and filtered. All this information can be used to optimize your site, whether for a particular user agent, search engine, demographics, etc. Or you can determine what error codes are the most frequent and determine a solution.

I tested it on a system running the Apache, PHP, and MySQL solution with a fresh Wordpress installation. I used different browsers and different IP addresses (through proxies). This program really gave an advantage in productivity when analyzing log files. Some hosting companies offer scripts which lack such power.

Some of the functions are disabled in the shareware version, so they couldn't be tested. A time trial would be a better way to let users test the full version. Some programs are proven not to work as expected when a license is paid, so I hope this is not the case.

It lacks some functions that might be helpful. A tool for importing a web server installation, so you don't have to deal with the open dialog window every time you wish to open a different log file. Or a function to view log files remotely.