Logrotatie

Logrotatie, also known as log rotation, is a system administration technique used to manage log files. Log files can grow very large over time, consuming significant disk space and making it difficult to search for specific events. Logrotatie automates the process of archiving, compressing, and deleting old log files, ensuring that log data remains manageable and accessible.

The primary function of logrotatie is to prevent log files from exceeding a predefined size limit or to rotate them at regular intervals, such as daily or weekly. When a log file reaches a certain size or a set time has passed, logrotatie renames the current log file (e.g., from `syslog` to `syslog.1`) and creates a new, empty log file with the original name. This process can be repeated multiple times, creating a series of numbered older log files (`syslog.2`, `syslog.3`, etc.).

Furthermore, logrotatie often includes options to compress older log files to save disk space. For example, `syslog.1` might be compressed into `syslog.1.gz`. The system can also be configured to delete the oldest log files after a certain number of rotations or a specific period to free up disk space automatically.

The configuration of logrotatie is typically managed through a configuration file, often located at `/etc/logrotate.conf` and within the `/etc/logrotate.d/` directory, where individual applications can have their own specific rotation rules. This allows administrators to tailor log management to the needs of different services and applications on a system.