Documentation

Introduction

Laravel Log Tracker is a powerful package for tracking, analyzing, and managing your Laravel application logs effortlessly. It includes global multi-file search, side-by-side log comparison, smart alerts (Mail, Slack, Discord, Webhook), row bookmarks, frequent entries panel, copy to clipboard, and major performance improvements — all with zero external dependencies.

Why Use Laravel Log Tracker?

• Beautiful Interface: Modern, responsive dashboard with two stunning themes (LiteFlow & GlowStack)
• Global Search: Search across all log files simultaneously with level, keyword, and date filters
• Log Comparison: Side-by-side diff between any two log files to track regressions
• Smart Alerts: Real-time notifications via Mail, Slack, Discord, or Webhook with cooldown management
• Zero Dependencies: Export logs in 4 formats without any external libraries
• Powerful Analytics: Error pattern analysis, peak hour visualization, frequent entries, real-time stats
• Row Bookmarks: localStorage-persisted bookmarks with gold highlight for critical entries
• Production Ready: 172 tests, max file size protection, smart pagination, optimized parsers
• Highly Customizable: Extensive configuration options for every aspect
• Modern Support: Laravel 10-12.x, PHP 8.1+

System Requirements

Server Requirements

Installation

Step 1: Install via Composer

composer require kssadi/log-tracker

Step 2: Publish Configuration (Optional)

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Kssadi\LogTracker\LogTrackerServiceProvider" --tag="config"

This publishes the configuration file to config/log-tracker.php

Quick Start

Access the Dashboard

Navigate to your application's log tracker dashboard:

https://your-domain.com/log-tracker

Basic Usage Flow

1. Dashboard Overview: View log statistics, error patterns, and peak error hours
2. Browse Log Files: Click on any log file to view its contents
3. Filter Logs: Use filters to narrow down by level, date, or keywords
4. Export Data: Export filtered logs in CSV, Excel, PDF, or JSON format
5. Manage Files: Download or delete log files as needed

Configuration

The configuration file is located at config/log-tracker.php. Here's the complete structure:

<?php

return [
    // Route configuration
    'route' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'prefix' => 'log-tracker',
        'middleware' => ['web', 'auth'],
    ],

    // Theme selection: 'GlowStack' or 'LiteFlow'
    'theme' => env('LOG_TRACKER_THEME', 'GlowStack'),

    // Log levels with colors and icons
    'levels' => [
        'emergency' => ['color' => '#dc2626', 'icon' => '🚨'],
        'alert' => ['color' => '#ea580c', 'icon' => '🔔'],
        'critical' => ['color' => '#f59e0b', 'icon' => '⚠️'],
        'error' => ['color' => '#ef4444', 'icon' => '❌'],
        'warning' => ['color' => '#eab308', 'icon' => '⚠️'],
        'notice' => ['color' => '#3b82f6', 'icon' => 'ℹ️'],
        'info' => ['color' => '#06b6d4', 'icon' => '📋'],
        'debug' => ['color' => '#8b5cf6', 'icon' => '🐞'],
    ],

    // Pagination settings
    'pagination' => [
        'per_page' => 50,
        'max_per_page' => 200,
        'file_list_per_page' => 20,
    ],

    // File handling
    'files' => [
        'max_file_size_mb' => 10,
        'allowed_extensions' => ['log'],
        'exclude_patterns' => [],
    ],

    // Export configuration
    'export' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'formats' => [
            'csv' => ['enabled' => true],
            'json' => ['enabled' => true],
            'excel' => ['enabled' => true],
            'pdf' => ['enabled' => true],
        ],
        'limits' => [
            'max_entries' => 50000,
            'max_file_size_mb' => 50,
            'timeout_seconds' => 300,
        ],
        'storage' => [
            'cleanup_after_days' => 7,
        ],
    ],

    // Cache settings
    'cache' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'ttl' => 300, // 5 minutes
    ],
];

Log Levels Configuration

Customize the appearance of different log levels:

Pagination Settings

'pagination' => [
    'per_page' => 50,           // Entries per page
    'max_per_page' => 200,      // Maximum allowed per page
    'file_list_per_page' => 20, // Files per page in file list
],

Adjust these values based on your server's performance and user preferences.

File Size Limits

'files' => [
    'max_file_size_mb' => 10,      // Max file size to process
    'allowed_extensions' => ['log'], // Allowed file extensions
    'exclude_patterns' => [],       // Files to exclude (regex)
],

Dashboard Access

Default Route

Access the dashboard at:

https://your-domain.com/log-tracker

Custom Route Prefix

Change the route prefix in your configuration:

'route' => [
    'prefix' => 'admin/logs', // Custom prefix
    'middleware' => ['web', 'auth'],
],

Dashboard will now be accessible at: /admin/logs

Dashboard Features

• Log Statistics: Total logs, errors, warnings by level
• Error Patterns: Top error types visualization
• Peak Hours: When errors occur most frequently
• Recent Logs: Quick view of latest entries
• File Browser: Navigate through all log files

Filtering Logs

Filter by Log Level

Use the level dropdown to show only specific log levels:

• Emergency
• Alert
• Critical
• Error
• Warning
• Notice
• Info
• Debug

Filter by Date Range

Select start and end dates to view logs from specific time periods.

Search by Keyword

Use the search box to find logs containing specific text, error messages, or stack traces.

Log File Management

Viewing Log Files

1. Navigate to the log files list page
2. Click on any log file name to view its contents
3. Use pagination to browse through entries

Downloading Log Files

Click the download button next to any log file to download it to your local system.

Deleting Log Files

Click the delete button to remove log files. A confirmation dialog will appear.

Searching Logs (In-File)

Full-Text Search

Use the search box on any log file view page to filter entries within that file. The search looks for matches in:

• Log messages
• Stack traces
• Error context
• File paths

Search Tips

• Search is case-insensitive
• Use specific error codes or exception names
• Search for file paths or class names
• Combine with level filters for better results

Global Multi-File Search

Global Search lets you search across all log files simultaneously, so you don't need to open each file individually. Access it at:

https://your-domain.com/log-tracker/search

Search Parameters

How It Works

1. Navigate to /log-tracker/search
2. Enter a keyword, choose an optional log level and date
3. Click Search — results from all files matching your criteria are displayed with the source filename and entry context

Log File Comparison

The comparison tool lets you place two log files side-by-side to identify differences, track regressions, or understand what changed between deployments.

Accessing the Comparison

https://your-domain.com/log-tracker/compare

Usage

1. Select File A from the first dropdown
2. Select File B from the second dropdown
3. Click Compare — entries unique to each file are highlighted in the side-by-side view

Comparison Columns

Alerts & Notifications

Laravel Log Tracker can send real-time alerts when new error entries are detected. Four channels are supported out of the box, all configurable in config/log-tracker.php.

Supported Channels

Full Configuration

'alerts' => [
    'enabled' => true,
    'levels'  => ['emergency', 'alert', 'critical', 'error'],
    'cooldown_minutes' => 30,

    'channels' => [
        'mail' => [
            'enabled' => true,
            'to'      => 'admin@example.com',
        ],
        'slack' => [
            'enabled'     => false,
            'webhook_url' => env('LOG_TRACKER_SLACK_WEBHOOK'),
        ],
        'discord' => [
            'enabled'     => false,
            'webhook_url' => env('LOG_TRACKER_DISCORD_WEBHOOK'),
        ],
        'webhook' => [
            'enabled' => false,
            'url'     => env('LOG_TRACKER_WEBHOOK_URL'),
        ],
    ],
],

📧 Channel 1 — Mail

Mail uses your existing Laravel mailer — no extra packages required.

Step 1: Make sure your .env has a working mail driver configured:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=no-reply@yourdomain.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="Laravel Log Tracker"

Step 2: Enable mail alerts in config/log-tracker.php:

'mail' => [
    'enabled' => true,
    'to'      => 'admin@yourdomain.com', // recipient address
],

💬 Channel 2 — Slack

Step 1: Create a Slack Incoming Webhook

1. Go to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App → From scratch.
2. Give it a name (e.g. Log Tracker Alerts) and select your workspace.
3. In the left sidebar, go to Incoming Webhooks and toggle it On.
4. Click Add New Webhook to Workspace, pick a channel (e.g. #alerts), and authorize.
5. Copy the generated Webhook URL — it looks like:
   https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B0000/XXXXXXX

Step 2: Add the webhook URL to your .env:

LOG_TRACKER_SLACK_WEBHOOK=https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B0000/XXXXXXX

Step 3: Enable Slack in config/log-tracker.php:

'slack' => [
    'enabled'     => true,
    'webhook_url' => env('LOG_TRACKER_SLACK_WEBHOOK'),
],

🎮 Channel 3 — Discord

Step 1: Create a Discord Webhook

1. Open your Discord server and go to the channel you want to receive alerts in.
2. Click the Edit Channel (⚙) gear icon next to the channel name.
3. Navigate to Integrations → Webhooks → New Webhook.
4. Give it a name and optionally upload an avatar, then click Copy Webhook URL.
   It looks like: https://discord.com/api/webhooks/1234567890/XXXXXXXX

Step 2: Add the webhook URL to your .env:

LOG_TRACKER_DISCORD_WEBHOOK=https://discord.com/api/webhooks/1234567890/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Step 3: Enable Discord in config/log-tracker.php:

'discord' => [
    'enabled'     => true,
    'webhook_url' => env('LOG_TRACKER_DISCORD_WEBHOOK'),
],

🔗 Channel 4 — Custom Webhook

Send alert payloads to any HTTP endpoint — useful for integrating with PagerDuty, custom dashboards, n8n, Zapier, or your own API.

Step 1: Add your endpoint URL to .env:

LOG_TRACKER_WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-app.com/api/log-alerts

Step 2: Enable the webhook channel in config/log-tracker.php:

'webhook' => [
    'enabled' => true,
    'url'     => env('LOG_TRACKER_WEBHOOK_URL'),
],

Payload format — your endpoint will receive a POST request with a JSON body like this:

{
    "level": "error",
    "message": "Uncaught Exception: ...",
    "file": "laravel-2026-02-24.log",
    "occurred_at": "2026-02-24T10:35:00Z",
    "app_url": "https://your-domain.com"
}

🚨 Controlling Which Levels Trigger Alerts

By default, only emergency, alert, critical, and error levels trigger notifications. You can customize this list:

'levels' => ['emergency', 'alert', 'critical', 'error', 'warning'],

⏱ Running Alerts Automatically (Scheduler)

For continuous monitoring, schedule the alert check command in routes/console.php:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schedule;

Schedule::command('log-tracker:check-alerts')->everyFiveMinutes();
Schedule::command('log-tracker:cleanup')->daily();

Make sure your Laravel scheduler is running. Add this cron entry to your server:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

php artisan schedule:work

🧪 Manually Trigger an Alert Check

You can trigger an alert check at any time without waiting for the scheduler:

php artisan log-tracker:check-alerts

Copy to Clipboard & Row Bookmarks

Copy to Clipboard

Every log entry row has a Copy button that copies the full log message (and stack trace if expanded) to the clipboard in one click. Useful for pasting into Slack, bug trackers, or emails.

Row Bookmarks

Click the bookmark icon on any log row to mark it with a gold highlight. Bookmarks are stored in localStorage and persist across page reloads and browser sessions for the same log file.

• Bookmarks survive page refreshes — no re-finding critical entries
• Clear all bookmarks for the current file with the Clear Marks button
• Bookmarks are keyed by log file name + entry index, so they stay accurate even after adding new lines

Frequent Entries Panel

When viewing a log file, the Frequent Entries panel automatically surfaces the top 15 most repeated log messages so you can immediately identify persistent issues without scrolling through thousands of lines.

Panel Columns

Artisan Commands

Examples

# Switch to LiteFlow theme
php artisan log-tracker:theme set LiteFlow

# Check which theme is active
php artisan log-tracker:theme current

# Manually send alerts for new errors detected since last check
php artisan log-tracker:check-alerts

# Clean up old export files
php artisan log-tracker:cleanup

// routes/console.php
Schedule::command('log-tracker:check-alerts')->everyFiveMinutes();
Schedule::command('log-tracker:cleanup')->daily();

Themes Overview

Laravel Log Tracker comes with two beautiful themes designed for different preferences and use cases.

GlowStack Theme

Modern, colorful, enhanced visual log view with rich colors and advanced styling.

Features

• Vibrant color scheme
• Enhanced visual hierarchy
• Rich animations and transitions
• Advanced styling elements
• Perfect for detailed log analysis

Best For

• Detailed log analysis sessions
• Visual engagement and pattern recognition
• Presentations and demonstrations
• Users who prefer modern interfaces

LiteFlow Theme

Minimal, clean log view with streamlined interface and excellent readability.

Features

• Minimalist design philosophy
• Faster page loads
• Clean, distraction-free interface
• Optimized for performance
• Perfect for high-frequency monitoring

Best For

• High-frequency log monitoring
• Users who prefer minimal interfaces
• Lower-end hardware or slow connections
• Long monitoring sessions

Switching Themes

Via Artisan Command

# Switch to GlowStack theme
php artisan log-tracker:theme set GlowStack

# Switch to LiteFlow theme
php artisan log-tracker:theme set LiteFlow

# Check current theme
php artisan log-tracker:theme current

Via Configuration File

Edit config/log-tracker.php:

'theme' => env('LOG_TRACKER_THEME', 'GlowStack'), // or 'LiteFlow'

Via Environment Variable

Add to your .env file:

LOG_TRACKER_THEME=GlowStack
# or
LOG_TRACKER_THEME=LiteFlow

Export Features

Export your logs in multiple formats with absolutely zero external dependencies.

Supported Formats

• CSV: Excel-compatible CSV format
• Excel: Native Excel XML format (.xls)
• PDF: Print-ready HTML report
• JSON: Structured JSON with metadata

Export Limits

'export' => [
    'limits' => [
        'max_entries' => 50000,      // Max log entries per export
        'max_file_size_mb' => 50,    // Max export file size
        'timeout_seconds' => 300,     // Export timeout
    ],
];

Automatic Cleanup

Exported files are automatically deleted after 7 days to save storage space:

'storage' => [
    'cleanup_after_days' => 7,
],

CSV Export

Export logs as comma-separated values, compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet applications.

CSV Structure

Timestamp,Level,Message,Context,Extra
2025-01-15 10:30:45,error,"Database connection failed","{\"host\":\"localhost\"}",""
2025-01-15 10:31:22,warning,"Slow query detected","{\"duration\":\"2.5s\"}",""

Enable/Disable

'formats' => [
    'csv' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'description' => 'Excel-compatible CSV format'
    ],
],

Excel Export

Native Excel XML format with formatted tables and styling.

Features

• Formatted headers and data
• Color-coded log levels
• Auto-width columns
• Filterable columns

Configuration

'formats' => [
    'excel' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'description' => 'Native Excel XML format'
    ],
],

PDF Export

Print-ready HTML report converted to PDF format.

Features

• Professional formatting
• Color-coded log levels
• Headers and footers
• Page numbers
• Timestamp metadata

Configuration

'formats' => [
    'pdf' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'description' => 'Print-ready HTML report'
    ],
],

JSON Export

Structured JSON format with complete metadata and context.

JSON Structure

{
  "metadata": {
    "exported_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "total_entries": 1523,
    "filters": {
      "level": "error",
      "date_from": "2025-01-01",
      "date_to": "2025-01-15"
    }
  },
  "logs": [
    {
      "timestamp": "2025-01-15 10:30:45",
      "level": "error",
      "message": "Database connection failed",
      "context": {
        "host": "localhost",
        "port": 3306
      },
      "extra": {}
    }
  ]
}

Configuration

'formats' => [
    'json' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'description' => 'Structured JSON with metadata'
    ],
],

Customization

Custom Log Levels

Add or modify log levels in your configuration:

'levels' => [
    'custom' => [
        'color' => '#10b981',
        'icon' => '🏆'
    ],
    // ... other levels
],

Custom Middleware

Add your own middleware for additional security:

'route' => [
    'middleware' => ['web', 'auth', 'can:view-logs'],
],

Custom Route Prefix

'route' => [
    'prefix' => 'admin/system/logs',
],

Publish and Modify Views

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Kssadi\LogTracker\LogTrackerServiceProvider" --tag="views"

Views will be published to resources/views/vendor/log-tracker/

Middleware Configuration

Default Middleware

By default, the dashboard is protected by:

• web - Web routes middleware group
• auth - Requires authentication

Add Role-Based Access

// config/log-tracker.php
'route' => [
    'middleware' => ['web', 'auth', 'role:admin'],
],

Add IP Whitelist

// config/log-tracker.php
'route' => [
    'middleware' => ['web', 'auth', 'ip.whitelist'],
],

Custom Middleware

Create your own middleware for advanced access control:

php artisan make:middleware LogTrackerAccess

// app/Http/Middleware/LogTrackerAccess.php
public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    if (!auth()->user()->can('access-log-tracker')) {
        abort(403, 'Unauthorized access to Log Tracker');
    }
    
    return $next($request);
}

// config/log-tracker.php
'route' => [
    'middleware' => ['web', 'auth', LogTrackerAccess::class],
],

Troubleshooting

Dashboard Shows 404 Error

Solution: Clear route cache and recheck configuration:

php artisan route:clear
php artisan config:clear

Large Files Not Loading

Solution: Adjust the max file size limit:

'files' => [
    'max_file_size_mb' => 20, // Increase limit
],

Memory Limit Errors

Solution: Increase PHP memory limit in php.ini:

memory_limit = 256M

Export Timeout

Solution: Increase export timeout:

'export' => [
    'limits' => [
        'timeout_seconds' => 600, // 10 minutes
    ],
],

Theme Not Changing

Solution: Clear config cache:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

Permission Denied Errors

Solution: Ensure storage directory has write permissions:

chmod -R 775 storage/logs
chown -R www-data:www-data storage/logs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Laravel Log Tracker free?

Yes! Laravel Log Tracker is completely free and open-source under the MIT license.

Does it work with custom log channels?

Yes, it works with all Laravel log channels including custom channels.

Can I use it in production?

Absolutely! The package includes security features, middleware protection, and performance optimizations for production use.

Does it require external dependencies for exports?

No! All 4 export formats (CSV, Excel, PDF, JSON) work with zero external dependencies.

Can I customize the interface?

Yes, you can publish views and modify them to match your design:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Kssadi\LogTracker\LogTrackerServiceProvider" --tag="views"

How do I update to the latest version?

composer update kssadi/log-tracker

Where can I report bugs or request features?

Visit the GitHub Issues page.

How can I support the project?