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To follow systemd journal entries as they arrive, run journalctl -f. To watch one service, use journalctl -f -u SERVICE. If an application writes to a text log file, use tail -f /path/to/log. Press Ctrl+C to stop either foreground command.
Choose the log source before following it
Linux does not have one universal log file. On systems using systemd, the journal can contain service, kernel, and application messages. Some applications also write to traditional text files, often under /var/log. Check the service or application configuration to find which source contains the events you need.
Use journalctl for the systemd journal. Journal files use a binary structured format, so they are not ordinary text files to follow with tail. See the systemd 255 journalctl manual and the systemd journal file-format documentation.
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Open a terminal and run the command that matches the stream you need:
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journalctl -ffollows new entries in the journal.journalctl -f -u SERVICEfollows entries for a systemd unit. ReplaceSERVICEwith the unit name, such assshdwhere that is the correct name on your system.journalctl -f -p errfollows entries at error priority and more severe priorities.
For example, journalctl -f -u sshd watches the sshd unit; service names differ between installations. The manual documents unit and priority filters as well as additional structured-field matches for narrowing output.
Follow an application’s text log
If the application writes to a plain-text file, follow that file directly:
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tail -f /path/to/logFor example, Microsoft Learn’s guide for Azure Linux gives sudo tail -f /var/log/messages. Treat this as an Azure Linux example, not a universal path: distributions and applications may use different filenames or logging arrangements. Use the file that the target service actually writes.
Add sudo only when the current user lacks permission and elevated access is appropriate. On a server, avoid broadening account privileges just to make log viewing convenient; request the access needed under the host’s policy.
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Choose a command by situation
| Situation | Starting point | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Service output collected by systemd | journalctl -f -u SERVICE |
Filters to a unit and displays journal metadata. |
| Kernel, system, or mixed journal events | journalctl -f, optionally with priority or field filters |
Shows a broader stream, which may include unrelated messages. |
| An application explicitly writes a text file | tail -f /path/to/log |
Confirm the correct path and that you can read it. |
| Logs must persist or disk use must be bounded | Check journald storage settings and the configured logrotate policy |
Live viewing, persistence, and retention are separate concerns. |
Handle permissions and missing output
Journal visibility depends on account permissions and distribution policy. The systemd manual describes system journal access as generally available to root and members of groups such as systemd-journal, adm, and wheel; which groups apply varies by host. Some system or audit logs may require elevated access. If a command reports permission errors, follow the machine’s administrative policy rather than adding yourself to a privileged group by default.
If a follow command produces no entries, first verify that the service is active and generating events, then check that you used its actual unit name or log-file path. A quiet stream does not necessarily mean the command failed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Understand persistence and rotation
Seeing an entry live does not mean it will remain available after a reboot. Microsoft’s Azure Linux guide describes journal data as persistent under /var/log/journal/ when that directory exists, and otherwise held in memory and lost on reboot. systemd journald also has configurable Storage= modes, so check the local configuration instead of assuming that directory rule applies to every Linux host. The guide also describes logrotate as the utility used to rotate, compress, and remove text logs according to configured retention policy: Logging and Monitoring on Azure Linux.
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Rotation can change file names or file identity. The cited documentation establishes logrotate’s role but does not establish identical behavior for every tail implementation during rotation. If continuous tracking across rotations matters, check the local tail manual and logrotate configuration rather than assuming the same behavior on every system.
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Why not follow journal files directly?
Use journalctl instead of treating the journal’s binary files as text. The systemd file-format documentation says clients reading journal files live should use inotify() for local change notifications; it also notes that inotify does not work across different hosts on a network filesystem, where polling is needed. For ordinary monitoring from a Linux host, journalctl -f is the purpose-built interface.
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