How to redirect docker container logs to a single file?

logging docker
KETAN PATIL picture KETAN PATIL · Dec 14, 2016 · Viewed 109k times · Source

I want to redirect all the logs of my docker container to single log file to analyse them. I tried 

docker logs container > /tmp/stdout.log 2>/tmp/stderr.log

but this gives log in two different file. I already tried 

docker logs container > /tmp/stdout.log

but it did not work.

Answer

pl_rock picture pl_rock · Dec 14, 2016

No need to redirect logs.

Docker by default store logs to one log file. To check log file path run command:

docker inspect --format='{{.LogPath}}' containername

/var/lib/docker/containers/f844a7b45ca5a9589ffaa1a5bd8dea0f4e79f0e2ff639c1d010d96afb4b53334/f844a7b45ca5a9589ffaa1a5bd8dea0f4e79f0e2ff639c1d010d96afb4b53334-json.log

Open that log file and analyse.

if you redirect logs then you will only get logs before redirection. you will not be able to see live logs.

EDIT:

To see live logs you can run below command

tail -f `docker inspect --format='{{.LogPath}}' containername`

Note:

This log file /var/lib/docker/containers/f844a7b45ca5a9589ffaa1a5bd8dea0f4e79f0e2ff639c1d010d96afb4b53334/f844a7b45ca5a9589ffaa1a5bd8dea0f4e79f0e2ff639c1d010d96afb4b53334-json.log will be created only if docker generating logs if there is no logs then this file will not be there. it is similar like sometime if we run command docker logs containername and it returns nothing. In that scenario this file will not be available.

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