[#service-logs]
= Service logs (OliveTin process troubleshooting)
:experimental:

**Service logs** are the lines OliveTin prints while it runs—startup messages, configuration load, errors, and action output. They are separate from xref:troubleshooting/browser-console-logs.adoc[browser console logs], which come from the WebUI in your browser.

When something fails on the server (OliveTin will not start, actions error, API or auth problems), sharing **recent service log output** helps others see what the process reported. You do **not** need to be a Linux expert to copy logs from Docker, Podman, or `journalctl`.

TIP: Before posting publicly, scan the log text for passwords, API tokens, cookies, or internal hostnames. Remove or replace those strings if needed. If you enable xref:troubleshooting/log-debug-options.adoc[extra debug logging], output can be more sensitive than usual.

[#where-logs-go]
== Where logs come from

How you read logs depends on how OliveTin is installed:

* **Container (Docker / Podman):** logs are what the container runtime captured from OliveTin’s standard output.
* **systemd service:** logs are stored by the system journal for the `OliveTin` unit.
* **Manual / binary** (for example `./OliveTin` in a terminal): messages print to that terminal—copy them from there, or redirect output to a file when testing.
* **Windows (binary or service):** OliveTin writes process logs to a file under `%ProgramData%\OliveTin\logs\` by default. You can override this with xref:install/windows_service.adoc#windows-service-logs[`serviceLogs.directory`] in `config.yaml`.

[#windows]
== Windows (binary or service)

By default, OliveTin on Windows writes process logs to:

[source]
----
%ProgramData%\OliveTin\logs\OliveTin-service-<timestamp>.log
----

To use a custom directory (for portable installs), set in `config.yaml`:

[source,yaml]
----
serviceLogs:
  directory: C:\Path\To\Logs\
----

See xref:install/windows_service.adoc#windows-service-logs[Windows service logs directory] for details. This setting is ignored on non-Windows platforms.

[#manual-binary]
== Manual or binary run

If you start OliveTin directly in a terminal window, **scroll back** and copy the text from startup through the error, or run it again and capture output:

[source,shell]
----
./OliveTin 2>&1 | tee olivetin-run.log
----

That writes everything to `olivetin-run.log` while still showing it on screen. Stop OliveTin before sharing, then attach or paste the relevant part of the file.

[#docker-and-podman]
== Docker and Podman

Use the **same container name** you chose when you created the container (examples below use `olivetin`; yours may differ).

.Show recent log lines (last ~200 lines)
[source,shell]
----
docker logs --tail 200 olivetin
----

With Podman, use the same pattern:

[source,shell]
----
podman logs --tail 200 olivetin
----

If OliveTin **crashes on startup** or you need the **full story from a restart**, show logs **after** reproducing the problem—either capture enough lines, or use a time window.

.Limit output to the last few minutes (adjust the time as needed)
[source,shell]
----
docker logs --since 10m olivetin
----

To **watch** logs live while you trigger an issue in another window:

[source,shell]
----
docker logs -f olivetin
----

Press kbd:[Ctrl+C] to stop following; that does not stop OliveTin.

[#docker-compose]
== Docker Compose

From the directory that contains your `compose.yaml` (or `docker-compose.yml`):

[source,shell]
----
docker compose logs --tail 200 olivetin
----

Use the **service name** from the compose file, not necessarily the container name. Add `-f` to follow logs live, same idea as above.

[#systemd]
== systemd (native Linux package)

Show whether the service is running and recent status:

[source,shell]
----
systemctl status OliveTin
----

Read the journal for the OliveTin unit (scroll with arrow keys, quit with kbd:[q]):

[source,shell]
----
journalctl -eu OliveTin
----

For a **time-bounded** slice (for example after a restart or failed action):

[source,shell]
----
journalctl -eu OliveTin --since "30 minutes ago"
----

[#what-to-capture]
== What to capture

. Reproduce the problem if you can (restart OliveTin, click the action, etc.), then collect logs **immediately after**.
. Include lines from **startup** through the **error**—not only the last one line.
. If the log is huge, prefer `--since` / `--tail` so the excerpt stays readable.
. Note your **install type** (Docker, Podman, Compose, systemd) and OliveTin **version** if you know it (from the WebUI footer, xref:troubleshooting/server-diagnostics.adoc[server diagnostics], or startup text).

For deeper server-side detail, you can temporarily enable xref:troubleshooting/log-debug-options.adoc[LogDebugOptions]—then capture logs again with those settings in mind.

[#share-the-logs]
== Share the logs

Paste the text into a xref:troubleshooting/wheretofindhelp.adoc[Discord or GitHub support] message (or attach a `.txt` file if it is long). Together with **how you run OliveTin** (direct port, reverse proxy, container flags) and **what you did** before the error, service logs make backend issues much easier to diagnose than a screenshot of the WebUI alone.

For WebUI-only behaviour (blank page, buttons not loading), also capture xref:troubleshooting/browser-console-logs.adoc[browser console logs] when relevant.