--- name: "logtail" section: "8" platform: "linux" package: "logtail" version: "1.4.5+deb13u1" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/logtail" --- # logtail(8) print log file lines that have not been read ## NAME logtail - print log file lines that have not been read ## SYNOPSIS **logtail** \[-t\] **-f***logfile* \[-o*offsetfile*\] ## DESCRIPTION **logtail** reads a specified file (usually a log file) and writes to the standard output that part of it which has not been read by previous runs of **logtail**. It prints the appropriate number of bytes from the end of *logfile*, assuming that all changes that are made to it are to add new characters to it. *logfile* must be a plain file. A symlink is not allowed. **logtail** stores the information about how much of it has already been read in a separate file called *offsetfile*. *offsetfile* can be omitted. If omitted, the file named *logfile.offset* in the same directory which contains *logfile* is used by default. If *offsetfile* is not empty, the inode of *logfile* is checked. If the inode is changed, **logtail** simply prints the entire file. If the inode is not changed but *logfile* is shorter than it was at the last run of **logtail**, it writes a warning message to the standard output. ## OPTIONS - **-f** *logfile* to be read after offset - **-o** *offsetfile* stores offset of previous run - **-t** test mode - do not change offset in *offsetfile* ## RETURN VALUES - 0 successful - 65 cannot get the size of *logfile* - 66 *logfile* does not exist, is not a plain file, or is not readable - 73 cannot write *offsetfile* ## AUTHOR The original **logtail** was written in C by Craig H. Rowland \. This version of **logtail** is a Perl reimplementation by Paul Slootman \. Enhanced by the Debian Logcheck Team \. This manual was written by Oohara Yuuma \. ## SEE ALSO [**logcheck**(8)](/logcheck/8.md)