View website access log or Apache log

Website logs record every request, error and connection your server processes. You need these logs to diagnose server issues, identify why a website went down or understand what caused an error.

You will access different log types depending on what you are investigating. Access logs record all requests made to your website. Error logs contain diagnostic information about problems the web server encountered. SSL logs track secure HTTPS connections. Both Plesk and cPanel provide direct access to these logs through their control panels.

Before you begin

You need access to your Plesk or cPanel control panel.
Logs download in plaintext format. Use CTRL+F to search for specific entries.

Access Apache logs in Plesk

Plesk organises logs by domain. Each domain in your subscription has its own log files, which makes it easier to isolate issues affecting a specific site.

Log in to your Plesk control panel.
Access this directly via the URL provided in your welcome email or through your client area.
Open the Websites & Domains section.
Click Websites & Domains in the left sidebar. This displays all domains in your subscription.

Plesk control panel showing the Websites and Domains navigation option in the left sidebar — The Websites & Domains section in Plesk.

Select the domain you want to investigate.
Each domain displays a Logs icon. Click this icon for the domain you are troubleshooting.

Plesk domain management area showing the Logs icon for each domain — The Logs icon appears next to each domain.

View the log entries.
Plesk displays all entries for the selected log type. The default view shows recent activity.

Plesk log viewer displaying recent log entries for a domain — The log viewer shows recent entries by default.

Change the log type if needed.
Use the dropdown menu at the top of the page to switch between access logs, error logs and other log types. This allows you to focus on the specific information you need.

Plesk log viewer showing the dropdown menu for selecting different log types — The dropdown menu lets you switch between log types.

You can now review log entries to identify errors or unusual activity. Plesk provides a complete list of available log types in their documentation.

Access raw logs in cPanel

cPanel displays logs through the Raw Access tool. This shows logs for all domains on your account in a single table, including both SSL and non-SSL versions. Archived logs are available in monthly increments as tar.gz files.

Log in to your cPanel control panel.
Access this through your client area or directly via the URL provided in your welcome email.
Open the Raw Access tool.
Scroll to the Metrics section and click Raw Access. This opens the log management interface.

cPanel control panel showing the Raw Access option in the Metrics section — The Raw Access tool is located in the Metrics section.

View or download logs.
The page displays a table of all domains on your account. Click a domain name to view its current logs or click an archived log file to download it. Archived logs are organised by month.

cPanel Raw Access page showing a table of current and archived log files for all domains — The Raw Access page lists current and archived logs.

You can now review log entries to diagnose issues. The logs download in plaintext format, so use CTRL+F to search for specific errors or patterns.

Wrapping up

You now know how to access website logs in both Plesk and cPanel. These logs help you diagnose server issues, track down errors and understand what happened when a site went down.

Review your logs regularly to spot patterns before they become problems. Our guides on fixing website error codes and understanding LVE resource limits provide additional context for common log entries. You can also use the ping command alongside log analysis for network diagnostics.

If you run into any trouble, get in touch and our team will be happy to help.