View Your Site's Error and Access Logs
Open your domain's web server error and access logs in the web hosting control panel to find out why a page fails, or download them for later.
When a page shows a blank screen, a 500 error, or "403 Forbidden", the error log usually says why in one line. The access log (transfer log) shows each request: who asked for which page, when, and with what result.
Open the logs
- Open the hosting control panel from the client area.
- In the side menu, open Administration → Logs.
- If your account has more than one domain, pick it under Domain and click Login.
- In Select Log Group, choose Web Server Logs and click Continue. (The other group, Let's Encrypt, logs SSL certificate requests.)
- On Log Settings, choose the log in Log File:
| Log | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Web Server error log | Errors for visits over http:// |
| Web Server SSL error log | Errors for visits over https://. Start here if your site uses HTTPS. |
| Web Server transfer log | Every request over http:// |
| Web Server SSL transfer log | Every request over https:// |
The SSL logs only appear when the domain has a certificate.
- Set Number of lines (20 by default; raise it to 200 or more), set Newest First to Yes, and click Show Log.
To watch new lines appear while you reload the broken page, set Follow to Yes.
Download a log
- Below the log, click Download to save what's on screen.
- Older days are listed under Archived Logs; click a file name to download it.
Reading the error log
Reload the broken page, then look at the newest lines. Common messages:
| You see | It usually means |
|---|---|
PHP Fatal error: ... Allowed memory size |
The script needs more memory. Raise memory_limit in PHP options. |
PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function |
A plugin or code needs a PHP extension or a different PHP version. See Change your PHP version. |
Permission denied or client denied by server configuration |
A file or folder has the wrong permissions, or an .htaccess rule blocks it. See the file manager. |
Invalid command or RewriteRule: bad flag |
A mistake in .htaccess. |
ModSecurity or Access denied with code 403 |
Our web application firewall blocked the request. Open a ticket with the line and the time. |
Good to know
- Times in the log are server time.
- Logs show visitor IP addresses. Treat downloaded copies as private data.
- For traffic numbers rather than single requests, see hosting statistics.
Open a ticket if you can't tell what an error means. Paste the exact lines and the page address.