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Install GoAccess from your Linux distribution, point it at the web server’s access log, and choose the output that fits your job: a terminal report for SSH troubleshooting, a static HTML snapshot for sharing, or a real-time HTML dashboard for ongoing monitoring. The commands below cover Nginx and Apache, custom and combined log formats, rotated gzip files, WebSocket settings, and the security controls needed when logs contain private request data.
What GoAccess does on a VPS
GoAccess is an open-source, real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer. It runs in a terminal on Unix-like systems or in a browser, parsing web-server access logs into HTTP statistics. The project documentation describes it as a tool for system administrators, DevOps engineers and security professionals.
The Tool Desk
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What the report contains
Depending on the log data and enabled features, the interface includes panels for valid and invalid requests, analysis time, unique visitors, requested files, static files, HTTP referrers, 404 responses, parsed log size and bandwidth. These are measurements of requests recorded by the web server; they are not a replacement for application-level events that never reach the access log.
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Before installing
- Use a supported Linux VPS distribution and an account that can run
sudo, or obtain equivalent administrator access. - Identify the active access-log path in the Nginx or Apache configuration. Common defaults are
/var/log/nginx/access.logand/var/log/apache2/access.log, but virtual hosts and hosting panels can use different paths. - Confirm that the account running GoAccess can read the log. If the file is readable only by root, run the command with
sudoor arrange a least-privilege group or copy rather than making the log world-readable. - Decide whether you need a one-time terminal analysis, a static HTML file, or a live HTML dashboard before opening any firewall ports.
Access logs can contain full URLs, query strings, referrers and client addresses. Treat every generated report as sensitive operational data and choose its exposure model before placing it under a public document root.
Install GoAccess
Debian and Ubuntu packages
For most Debian or Ubuntu VPSs, install the distribution package:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install goaccessThe package maintained by your distribution is the simplest option, but it may lag the latest stable GoAccess release. If you require the current project package, GoAccess documents an official Debian/Ubuntu repository. Follow that project’s current repository-key and signed-source instructions rather than copying an old signing key from an unrelated tutorial.
Fedora and Arch packages
On Fedora, the documented package command is:
sudo yum install goaccessOn Arch Linux, use:
sudo pacman -S goaccessPackage names and versions can vary by distribution release. After installation, verify that the executable is available:
goaccess --versionBuilding from source
A source build is useful when the repository version is too old or when you need optional capabilities that your package omitted. The project’s source instructions document an UTF-8 build with --enable-utf8, optional GeoIP2 support, and --with-zlib. Zlib support lets GoAccess read .gz logs directly. Use the dependency and signing instructions for the release you are building; do not assume a command written for one distribution applies unchanged to another.
Run your first analysis against Nginx or Apache
Let GoAccess ask for the predefined format
If you are unsure which built-in format matches the file, run the configuration prompt:
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goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -cSelect the format that matches the actual line structure. Substitute the Apache path when appropriate:
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goaccess /var/log/apache2/access.log -cUse the standard combined format explicitly
For a conventional combined access log, specify the format directly:
goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log --log-format=COMBINEDThe same option works with an Apache access log:
goaccess /var/log/apache2/access.log --log-format=COMBINEDCOMBINED is not a universal parser. Nginx and Apache configurations can add, remove or reorder fields, and JSON or application-specific lines need a matching custom GoAccess format. If the first run is empty or values appear in the wrong columns, inspect one real log line and compare every field with the format definition instead of trying random presets.
Check that the input is really the active log
Before diagnosing GoAccess, confirm that the file contains recent records and that the web server is writing to it. A correctly installed analyzer cannot display requests that are being written to another virtual-host file, a container volume, journald, or a rotated file you did not provide.
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| Mode | Typical command | Best use | Important constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal | goaccess LOG --log-format=COMBINED |
Interactive SSH troubleshooting and quick checks | Requires an SSH session or terminal multiplexer |
| Static HTML | goaccess LOG -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED |
A snapshot that a browser can open | It does not update unless you regenerate it |
| Real-time HTML | goaccess LOG -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED --real-time-html |
A dashboard that receives new records while GoAccess runs | Needs a reachable WebSocket endpoint and a continuously running process |
| JSON or CSV | Use the corresponding GoAccess output option | Further processing or scheduled exports | The consuming system must handle the exported schema |
Generate a static HTML report
Place the generated file below the document root of an HTTP server. On a typical Nginx VPS:
sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINEDDebian’s GoAccess manpage notes that an HTTP server is required to serve the generated HTML file. The command reads the log, writes a snapshot, and exits. If the web server serves the file successfully, open the report at the corresponding path on your site or internal hostname.
Protect the report
Do not treat the document root as a security boundary. Restrict the report with HTTP authentication, an IP allowlist, a private network location, or an equivalent access-control policy. A report can reveal paths that should not be advertised, referrers, query parameters and client information. If the dashboard is only for the operator, serving it on localhost and viewing it through an SSH tunnel is safer than publishing it publicly.
Refresh a static report
A static file has no process watching the log. Regenerate it after the period you want to inspect, or schedule the command with your operating system’s task scheduler. Use an atomic replacement strategy if readers may open the file while it is being written, and ensure the scheduled account can read the log and write the destination.
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Create a real-time HTML dashboard
Add --real-time-html to start the WebSocket process that feeds new data to the browser:
sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED --real-time-htmlGoAccess listens on TCP port 7890 by default for the real-time WebSocket service. The command must keep running; if the process exits, the existing HTML file may still load, but it will stop receiving updates.
Choose the listener address and port
Use --port=9870 to select a different WebSocket port:
sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED --real-time-html --port=9870Use --addr=127.0.0.1 to keep the listener on the VPS itself:
sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED --real-time-html --addr=127.0.0.1A local listener is a strong default when a reverse proxy will relay the browser connection. If clients must connect directly, allow only the selected port from the required networks in the VPS firewall; do not open every source address merely because the default is convenient.
Set the browser’s WebSocket URL
When the browser reaches the socket through a hostname or proxy path, set --ws-url to the host and path the browser should use:
sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/goaccess.html --log-format=COMBINED --real-time-html --addr=127.0.0.1 --ws-url=example.com/goaccessThe GoAccess FAQ specifies that the WebSocket value must not include http:// or https://. Use the exact externally reachable hostname and path; an internal bind address is not automatically the same thing as the URL embedded in the page.
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Put the socket behind a reverse proxy
A reverse proxy can serve the HTML over the normal HTTP or HTTPS endpoint while forwarding the WebSocket connection to the local GoAccess listener. The proxy configuration must pass WebSocket upgrade and connection headers in addition to ordinary HTTP requests. If ordinary page loads work but the dashboard reports a failed socket connection, inspect the proxy’s upgrade handling before changing the log format.
Use TLS at the GoAccess listener
For direct TLS WebSocket output, the documented options are --ssl-cert=<cert.crt> and --ssl-key=<priv.key>. Keep private-key permissions restricted. If TLS terminates at a reverse proxy instead, configure the proxy to use the local listener securely and ensure the browser’s WebSocket scheme and hostname match the public endpoint.
Keep the process running
Run the command under a service manager or a persistent terminal session so it survives logout and restarts after a failure. The exact unit depends on your distribution and deployment, but the service needs permission to read the log, write the HTML file, bind the selected address and port, and restart when the VPS reboots. Capture standard error so malformed lines, permission failures and socket errors are visible in the service logs.
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Analyzing only the current file omits older traffic once log rotation has occurred. You can stream compressed rotations into GoAccess while also supplying the current file:
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If your GoAccess build includes zlib support, pass compressed files as input files:
goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log /var/log/nginx/access.log.1.gz --log-format=COMBINED -o report.htmlAdd each older rotation you need, including files with dates or higher rotation numbers. Check that the shell glob expands to the files you intended and that the records use the same timestamp and field format. Mixing formats without separate parsing rules can produce invalid or misleading output.
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Secure the exposure model
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|---|---|---|
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| Local WebSocket plus reverse proxy | Browser access without exposing a raw socket port | Bind with --addr=127.0.0.1, authenticate the proxy location, forward upgrades |
| Direct WebSocket port | A controlled private network that needs direct access | Choose --port, restrict firewall sources, use TLS where required |
| Public static HTML | Only when the report contains no sensitive data | Prefer authentication or an allowlist; remember that regeneration does not remove old copies |
File permissions, HTTP authorization and firewall rules solve different problems. Apply all three where appropriate: a protected file does not prevent a reverse proxy from exposing it, and a closed WebSocket port does not protect a static report that is publicly reachable.
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Troubleshoot an empty, stale or disconnected report
The dashboard is empty or garbled
- Inspect a real access-log line and compare its fields with the selected GoAccess format.
- Replace
COMBINEDwith the correct predefined format or define a custom format matching the server configuration. - Confirm that the file is not empty, that timestamps are valid, and that the command points to the active virtual-host log.
- Check the command’s error output for permission or parsing messages.
A static report never updates
This is expected when you generated the file without --real-time-html. Re-run the static command to create a new snapshot, or start a continuously running real-time command and make its WebSocket endpoint reachable.
The live page loads but cannot connect
- Verify that GoAccess is still running and listening on the selected port; a process that exited cannot publish updates.
- Check the VPS firewall and any cloud security group for the required port, or keep the listener local when using a reverse proxy.
- Confirm that
--ws-urlcontains the browser-facing hostname and path withouthttp://orhttps://. - Ensure the reverse proxy forwards WebSocket upgrade requests, not just normal HTTP responses.
- Check that
--addris compatible with the connection path: a listener bound only to localhost cannot accept direct external connections. - For TLS, verify the certificate, private key, hostname and WebSocket scheme presented to the browser.
Older traffic is missing
GoAccess may have parsed only the current access log. Include rotated files explicitly, stream gzip rotations with zcat, or use a build with zlib support and pass the compressed files directly. Also verify that rotation did not change the log format or timezone assumptions.
Updates stop after log rotation
Rotation can replace or rename the file that the running process opened. Check whether the process follows the new file in your deployment; if not, restart GoAccess against the current path and include the relevant rotated files for historical coverage. A service restart policy makes this recovery predictable.
Plan capacity without guessing
There is no authoritative fixed CPU, RAM or maximum-log-volume figure that applies to every VPS. Resource use depends on request volume, line length, format complexity, enabled features and whether you are generating terminal, static or real-time output. Measure on the target VPS: watch CPU and memory while processing a representative log set, then leave headroom for the web server and application.
For a low-risk trial, start with the current log, confirm parsing, then add rotations and optional features. If processing is slow, reduce the input window, run historical reports off-peak, or move batch analysis to a separate machine rather than weakening access controls or deleting useful log data.
Quick Recap
A repeatable operating procedure
- Confirm the active Nginx or Apache access-log path and inspect a sample line.
- Install GoAccess with the distribution package, or follow the current official repository or source instructions when you need a newer release or optional zlib/GeoIP2 support.
- Run
goaccess LOG -conce to validate the format, then make the format explicit in scripts. - Use terminal output for immediate SSH diagnosis, static HTML for a protected snapshot, or real-time HTML only after designing the WebSocket exposure.
- Include rotated and compressed files when the reporting period extends beyond the current log.
- Protect every HTML report and restrict socket access to the networks and users that need it.
- Run the live command under a service manager, monitor its logs, and test recovery after log rotation and VPS reboot.
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