Server Logs

Server logs show what happened when a website is slow, shows an error, or blocks a visitor. Staq gives you two views. Debug shows the latest log lines as a table you can search. Log Files lets you download the raw files.

Open Debug

1. Open the website in Staq.
2. Click the Server tab.
3. Under Diagnostics, click Debug.

Choose a log

1. Click a tab to see that log:
   • WordPress: errors and notices from WordPress when WP_DEBUG is on.
   • Nginx Access: every request to the website, with the time, visitor IP, request, status, and size.
   • Nginx Errors: errors from the web server.
   • PHP-FPM: PHP requests that did not go through Nginx access logging.
   • CloudFront: requests served by Amazon CloudFront. This tab only shows when the website uses CloudFront.
2. Type in the search box to find a request, an IP, or a status code such as 500.
3. Click Refresh to load the newest lines.

Turn on WordPress logs

WordPress only writes its log while WP_DEBUG is on.

1. Click the WordPress tab.
2. Click Enable WP_DEBUG.
3. Repeat the problem on your website, then click Refresh.
4. When a row shows Debug with AI, click it for a plain-English explanation of that error.
5. Click Disable WP_DEBUG when you are done.

Open Log Files

1. On the Server tab, under Diagnostics, click Log Files.
2. Click a chip to narrow the list: Nginx, HTTPS, PHP, Access, Error, or WordPress. Chips combine. For example, Nginx, HTTPS, and Access shows only nginx.https.access.log files.

Download a log file

1. Find the file. Today’s log has no date, for example nginx.https.access.log. Older days end in the date and are compressed, for example nginx.https.access.log-20260929.gz.
2. Click the Download icon on that row. To download several files, check them and use the download action above the list.

FAQ

Which log files are there?

nginx.http.access.log and nginx.https.access.log hold requests. nginx.http.error.log and nginx.https.error.log hold web server errors. nginx.rate-limit.log lists requests that were rate limited. php-fpm.access.log, php-fpm.error.log, and php-fpm.slow.log cover PHP. debug.log is the WordPress log, written while WP_DEBUG is on.

How long are logs kept?

Each log starts a new file every day. Older days are compressed and deleted automatically after a set number of days.

Can I get the logs over SFTP?

Yes. They are in the /logs folder at the root of the website. See FTP access for the SFTP details.

Why is there no CloudFront tab?

The tab only shows when the website serves traffic through Amazon CloudFront.

Can I leave WP_DEBUG on?

Turn it off when you are done. It writes to debug.log on every error, and the log can grow fast. Plus for security reasons, it’s best to keep it off when not required.

Need some help?

Open a support ticket if a log stays empty after Refresh, or a file does not download.