Laravel Log Viewer Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require dipeshshihora/laravel-log-viewer
   

   Publish the config file (if needed):

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Dipeshshihora\LogViewer\LogViewerServiceProvider"
   

2. First Use Case:

   • Register the middleware in app/Http/Kernel.php:

     'web' => [
         \Dipeshshihora\LogViewer\Middleware\LogViewerMiddleware::class,
     ],
     

   • Access logs via /logs route (default) or configure a custom route in config/log-viewer.php.

3. Quick View:

   • Visit /logs in your browser to see a filtered, searchable log interface.
   • Defaults to showing storage/logs/laravel.log (adjustable in config).

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflows

1. Log Filtering:

   • Use query parameters to filter logs:

     /logs?level=error&search=authentication
     

   • Supported filters: level (debug, info, warning, error, critical), search, from, to.

2. Custom Log Files:

   • Override the default log path in config/log-viewer.php:

     'log_file' => storage_path('logs/custom.log'),
     

   • Support multiple log files via log_files array:

     'log_files' => [
         storage_path('logs/laravel.log'),
         storage_path('logs/custom.log'),
     ],
     

3. Integration with Existing Routes:

   • Protect the log viewer route with middleware (e.g., auth):

     Route::get('/logs', [LogViewerController::class, 'index'])->middleware('auth');
     

   • Extend the controller to add custom logic (e.g., log masking):

     namespace App\Http\Controllers;
     use Dipeshshihora\LogViewer\Controllers\LogViewerController as BaseController;
     
     class LogViewerController extends BaseController {
         public function index() {
             // Pre-process logs (e.g., mask sensitive data)
             $logs = parent::index();
             return view('log-viewer::index', compact('logs'));
         }
     }
     

4. Blade Customization:

   • Publish views and override templates:

     php artisan vendor:publish --tag=log-viewer-views
     

   • Modify resources/views/vendor/log-viewer/index.blade.php to add columns, buttons, or styling.

5. API Access:

   • Use the LogViewerFacade to fetch logs programmatically:

     use Dipeshshihora\LogViewer\Facades\LogViewer;
     
     $logs = LogViewer::getLogs(['level' => 'error']);
     

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Large Log Files:

   • Performance degrades with log files >100MB. Use log_max_lines in config to limit results:

     'log_max_lines' => 5000,
     

   • For production, consider streaming logs or using a dedicated log management tool.

2. Permission Issues:

   • Ensure the web server user (e.g., www-data) has read access to storage/logs/:

     chmod -R 755 storage/logs/
     

   • If using Docker, bind-mount the logs directory with proper permissions.

3. Log Rotation:

   • The package doesn’t handle log rotation. Use Laravel’s built-in log rotation (config/logging) or a tool like logrotate.

4. Monolog-Specific Quirks:

   • Logs must be in Monolog’s JSON format. If using custom log handlers, ensure compatibility.
   • For non-JSON logs, pre-process them or use a different package.

5. Route Conflicts:

   • The default /logs route may conflict with existing routes. Always check routes/web.php and adjust the route in config/log-viewer.php:

     'route' => 'admin/logs',
     

Debugging Tips

1. Log Format Issues:

   • If logs don’t display, verify the format with:

     tail -n 10 storage/logs/laravel.log | jq
     

   • Ensure logs are JSON-encoded (Monolog’s default).

2. Middleware Not Triggering:

   • Check if the middleware is registered in app/Http/Kernel.php and the route is accessible.
   • Test with a simple route to isolate the issue:

     Route::get('/test-log-viewer', function () {
         return LogViewer::getLogs();
     });
     

3. Custom Controller Overrides:

   • If extending the controller, ensure you’re calling parent methods (e.g., parent::index()) to retain default functionality.

4. Caching:

   • The package may cache log queries. Clear cache if logs aren’t updating:

     php artisan cache:clear
     php artisan view:clear
     

Extension Points

1. Custom Log Parsers:

   • Extend the LogParser class to support non-JSON logs:

     namespace App\Services;
     use Dipeshshihora\LogViewer\Services\LogParser as BaseParser;
     
     class CustomLogParser extends BaseParser {
         public function parseLine(string $line): array {
             // Custom parsing logic
             return $parsedData;
         }
     }
     

   • Bind the parser in a service provider:

     $this->app->bind(LogParser::class, CustomLogParser::class);
     

2. Adding Metadata:

   • Extend the log view to include additional metadata (e.g., user context):

     // In a middleware or service
     Log::withContext(['user_id' => auth()->id()])->error('Test error');
     

   • Update the Blade template to display context data.

3. Export Functionality:

   • Add a download button to export logs as JSON/CSV:

     // In LogViewerController
     public function export(Request $request) {
         $logs = LogViewer::getLogs($request->all());
         return response()->json($logs)->header('Content-Type', 'application/json');
     }
     

   • Add a route and JavaScript to trigger the export.

4. Real-Time Updates:

   • Use Laravel Echo/Pusher to stream new logs in real-time:

     // Public/js/app.js
     Echo.channel('log-channel')
         .listen('LogEvent', (e) => {
             // Append new log to the UI
         });
     

   • Emit events in a log observer or listener.