Nerdlog is a remote-first terminal log viewer designed to help you inspect logs from one or more machines through a single interface.
It connects directly to hosts over SSH, works with common Linux log sources such as /var/log/messages, /var/log/syslog, and journalctl, and presents merged results alongside an interactive timeline histogram so you can quickly spot bursts of activity and drill into matching entries. The software is built for efficient querying on large logs and performs analysis on the remote side rather than pulling complete log files down to the local machine.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- No centralized server is required, as it connects directly to remote hosts over SSH.
- Performs log analysis on remote machines and transfers only matching entries plus histogram data.
- Supports multiple hosts at once and merges their log output into a unified view.
- Provides an interactive timeline histogram for visual inspection of log activity over time.
- Works with standard log files and `journalctl` logstreams.
- Can use custom shell commands to establish sessions, which helps with tools such as Teleport.
- Reads SSH configuration and supports glob patterns for selecting hosts.
- Includes query history, refresh controls, clipboard query sharing, and exporting loaded log lines to a file.
- Offers both conventional terminal navigation and Vim-like keybindings.
- Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/dimonomid/nerdlog
Support:
Developer: Dmitry Frank
License: BSD 2-Clause License
Nerdlog is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| LogFile Viewers | |
|---|---|
| lnav | Curses-based utility for viewing and analyzing log files. |
| QJournalctl | Graphical User Interface for systemd’s journalctl |
| journalctl | Query and display messages from the journal |
| KSystemLog | System log viewer for KDE |
| toolong | View, tail, merge, and search log files |
| humanlog | Reads logs from stdin and prints them back to stdout, but prettier. |
| Xlogmaster | GTK+ based program to keep track of logfiles and devices |
| frontail | Stream logs to your web browser |
| logrifle | Designed to "rifle through" large logfiles |
| Gnome-logs | View and search logs with this graphical utility |
| glogg | Qt graphical log explorer |
| MultiTail | View multiple logfiles windowed on the console |
| Chipmunk | Fast logfile viewer that can deal with huge logfiles (>10 GB) |
| QLogExplorer | Qt-based tool for exploring log files |
| Grafito | Simple, self-contained web-based log viewer for journalctl |
| swatch | Logfile viewer with regexp matching, highlighting & hooks |
| logmaster-gtk-d | Log viewer for Linux built with GTK and D |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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