Delete Apache log files once Awstats is updated

Question

in my /var/lib/awstats, awstats creates monthly .txt files (its database).

Once these files are created and I have my graphics created in Awstats, can I delete the old log files created by Apache? Those found, generally, in /var/www/logs/ (the combined log file)?

This file is getting huge and I want to get rid of it (close to 0.5 Gb).

Also, what happens if I delete .txt files in /var/lib/awstats, do I loose this data?

Thanks

Then you should setup it before the log eat your HD space :) — masegaloeh, Sep 19 '14 at 12:07
Yeah, I have to, now that I've seen the size of the apache log files!!! — fizzy drink, Sep 19 '14 at 12:15

Andrew Schulman · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-19T12:08:56.457

1

Sure, once awstats has finished processing your log files, you can delete them. Of course then you won't be able to go back and look at them for anything else, such as intrusion detection. Or if you were later adding other metrics to awstats, you wouldn't be able to calculate them on the period covered by the deleted logs, since it would have to go back through and reprocess them to do that.

But yes, it's standard practice to regularly rotate log files, and delete the oldest ones. How long to keep them depends on your installation. A log rotation tool such as logrotate can automate the process.

edited Sep 19 '14 at 12:08

answered Sep 19 '14 at 12:03

Andrew Schulman

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Thanks for the heads up on logrotate, I will check it out and set it up. – fizzy drink Sep 19 '14 at 12:07

Delete Apache log files once Awstats is updated

1 Answers1