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How to disable Apache and nginx log files for domains on Plesk for Linux server?

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Taras Ermoshin
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Plesk for Linux kb: how-to ABT: Group A

Applicable to:

  • Plesk for Linux

Question

How to disable Apache and nginx log files for domains on a Plesk for Linux server?

Answer

Note: This article may require additional administrative knowledge to apply. If any help required, contact server’s administrator or hosting support.

To disable Apache log files (access_log, access_ssl_log and error_log ), use one of the two possible ways:

Disable Apache log files for all domains

  1. Connect to the server using SSH.

  2. Copy default template domainVirtualHost.php to custom templates directory:

    # mkdir -p /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/

    # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/default/domain/domainVirtualHost.php /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain

  3. Remove the following lines from the file domainVirtualHost.php located in custom templates directory:

    CONFIG_TEXT: <?php if (!$VAR->server->webserver->apache->pipelogEnabled): ?>
    CustomLog <?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/<?php echo $OPT['ssl'] ? 'access_ssl_log' : 'access_log' ?> plesklog
    <?php endif; ?>
    ErrorLog "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/error_log"

  4. Reconfigure domains:

    # plesk sbin httpdmng --reconfigure-all

Disable Apache log files for particular domains

  1. Connect to the server using SSH.

  2. Copy default template domainVirtualHost.php to custom templates directory:

    # mkdir -p /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/

    # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/default/domain/domainVirtualHost.php /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain

  3. Create the file apachedomainlist.txt with the list of domains (each domain should be on a new line) where Apache log-files should be disabled, for example:

    CONFIG_TEXT: example.com
    example.net
    example.org

  4. Put the created file into the directory /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain:

    # cp apachedomainlist.txt /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/apachedomainlist.txt

  5. Open the file /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/domainVirtualHost.php with a text editor:

    # vi /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/domainVirtualHost.php

  6. Locate lines listed below and replace them with the new ones:

    Before:

    CONFIG_TEXT: <?php if (!$VAR->server->webserver->apache->pipelogEnabled): ?>
    CustomLog <?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/<?php echo $OPT['ssl'] ? 'access_ssl_log' : 'access_log' ?> plesklog
    <?php endif; ?>
    ErrorLog "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/error_log"

    After:

    CONFIG_TEXT: <?php
    $domains = explode(PHP_EOL, file_get_contents('/usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/apachedomainlist.txt'));
    ?>
    <?php if (!in_array($VAR->domain->asciiName, $domains)): ?>
    <?php if (!$VAR->server->webserver->apache->pipelogEnabled): ?>
    CustomLog <?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/<?php echo $OPT['ssl'] ? 'access_ssl_log' : 'access_log' ?> plesklog
    <?php endif; ?>
    ErrorLog "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir ?>/error_log"
    <?php endif; ?>

  7. Reconfigure domains with the command:

    # plesk sbin httpdmng --reconfigure-all

To disable nginx log files (proxy_access_log , proxy_access_ssl_log and proxy_error_log ), use one of the two possible ways:

Disable nginx log files for all domains

  1. Connect to the server using SSH.

  2. Copy default template nginxDomainVirtualHost.php to custom templates directory:

    # mkdir -p /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/

    # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/default/domain/nginxDomainVirtualHost.php /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain

  3. Remove the following lines from the file nginxDomainVirtualHost.php located in custom templates directory:

    CONFIG_TEXT: access_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/' . ($OPT['ssl'] ? 'proxy_access_ssl_log' : 'proxy_access_log') ?>"; error_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/proxy_error_log' ?>";

  4. Reconfigure domains with the command:

    # plesk sbin httpdmng --reconfigure-all

Disable nginx log files for particular domains

  1. Connect to the server using SSH.

  2. Copy default template nginxDomainVirtualHost.php to custom templates directory:

    # mkdir -p /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/

    # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/default/domain/nginxDomainVirtualHost.php /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain

  3. Create the file nginxdomainlist.txt with the list of domains (each domain should be on a new line) where nginx log-files should be disabled, for example:

    CONFIG_TEXT: example.com
    example.net
    example.org

  4. Put the created file into the directory /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain:

    # cp nginxdomainlist.txt /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/nginxdomainlist.txt

  5. Open the file /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/nginxDomainVirtualHost.php with a text editor:

    # vi /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/nginxDomainVirtualHost.php

  6. Locate lines listed below and replace them with the new ones:

    Before:

    CONFIG_TEXT: access_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/' . ($OPT['ssl'] ? 'proxy_access_ssl_log' : 'proxy_access_log') ?>";
    error_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/proxy_error_log' ?>";

    After:

    CONFIG_TEXT: <?php
    $domains = explode(PHP_EOL, file_get_contents('/usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain/nginxdomainlist.txt'));
    ?>
    <?php if (!in_array($VAR->domain->asciiName, $domains)): ?>
    access_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/' . ($OPT['ssl'] ? 'proxy_access_ssl_log' : 'proxy_access_log') ?>";
    error_log "<?php echo $VAR->domain->physicalHosting->logsDir . '/proxy_error_log' ?>";
    <?php endif; ?>

  7. Reconfigure domains with the command:

    # plesk sbin httpdmng --reconfigure-all

Warning: before performing a Plesk upgrade, create a backup of files located in /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/templates/custom/domain , as they might be removed during the upgrade process.

Comments

10 comments

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  • Avatar
    Noam Harel

    Hi

    erasing the files fom domain log files and system folder might work?

    Noam

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  • Avatar
    Nikolay Zhmuk

    @Noam Harel Hello, it is not recommended since it potentially can cause Plesk malfunction. Also, those files will be recreated during DailyMaintenance task execution that includes log rotation.

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  • Avatar
    A Sieber (Edited )

    After disabling nginx log-files for a specific domain as described above, nginx will produce many log entries in /var/log/nginx/access.log.

    Before that, only a few entries have been written there. It looks like the log entries are now written to the general log instead of the access.log files in the domains. That's not what I want.

     

     

     

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  • Avatar
    Bulat Tsydenov

    @A Sieber, the behavior you are describing is expected because the article describes how to disable logs for domains only. If you want to disable nginx logs at all on the whole server, apply the solution from this article and create `/etc/nginx/conf.d/00_disable_logs.conf` file with the following configuration:

    access_log off;
    error_log off;

    After that, restart nginx service

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  • Avatar
    Dan Wright

    That all seems pretty complicated. Is that all any different than just entering into the "Additional directives for HTTP/HTTPS" the following?

    ErrorLog /dev/null
    CustomLog /dev/null common

    Works for me :)

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  • Avatar
    Ivan Postnikov

    Hello @Dan,

    The resolution from the article allows applying this configuration change to multiple or all domains.

    It would be great if you could clarify which exact steps have you found difficult to do?

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  • Avatar
    Lenusch

    I dont undestand why Article is so complicated. 

    I just disabled Access Logs with simply access_log off; into NGINX directives. 

    Maybe thats a good hint aswell. 

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  • Avatar
    Danil Dmitrienko

    Hello Lenusch,

    This article describes the automated solution for multiple of domains.

    Thank you for sharing your solution, it may be useful for other pleskians as a solution for a specific domain.

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  • Avatar
    Lenusch

    Hm, this is not working somehow, only sometimes, don't understand :-D 

    access_log off;

    Why not? 

     

    I now have 

    access_log off;
    access_log /dev/null;

    this works i think. 

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  • Avatar
    Xyonet Hosting

    There has to be an easier way.  created a website.  It's not logging a damn thing!

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