When it comes to anything remotely related to IT, logs are important. Log data help administrators, developers, testers and other relevant personnel learn about the behavior of their software or app.
Log management has become a core operation of testing and debugging process it is not as easy as it may sound. Developers and system admnistrators all over the globe use log management tools and services to monitor the behavior of their apps.
However, platforms like iOS and Android have brought a whole new level of complexity in the equation and that’s why smarter and better log management tools are needed to deal with growing data about apps and their operations. There are many factors that define how good is a particular log management tool is. Some of those factors are given below.
- First of all and most importantly, the tool should be powerful enough to gather all the event logs in a meaningful manner. Operating systems like Windows and Linux provide logs natively but those logging mechanisms are not specifically built from users’ perspective and that’s why they are not clear or even complete.
- The main purpose of using a log management tool is to gather all the information about all the events at a single platform. A good log management tool must gather, archive, analyze and report all the events using a single platform.
- Log management tool must be able to transform raw data, events and logs into useful and meaningful insights so they make sense.
- Although scalability is not a must for individuals and small businesses but enterprises prefer log management tools which are flexible and highly scalable so they could expand to other networks and devices with little or no configuration at all.
Backend log management is a relatively newer concept but there’re some solid services that excel in this niche. Let’s talk about some of the most popular server log management tools, their features, pros and cons, and everything else you might want to know about them.
Papertrail
Papertrail is a log management tool and service which is specifically designed to be time efficient in every possible sense. Some of the popular and widely used features of Papertrail are deriving values from already collected raw data, compatibility with all log formats and methods, support for unlimited systems and users simultaneously, custom alerts and real-time functionality from API.
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Papertrail offers different packages and prices based on different set of features. You can create a free account and use Papertrail indefinitely for free with the limitation of 100MB per month of logs. Other packages are available for $7, $18, $35, $75, $150 and $230 per month with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 25GB of logs per month. All of these premium packages stores archives for one year.
Logstash
Logstash is developed and run by Elastic which is a well known data processing service in the world. Elastic offers many services including Logstash and all of these are interconnected but have different purpose. However, those services work under a single platform and provide a powerful analytics tool. Like most of the other log management tools, Logstash collects raw data and then it transforms that data to useful information that could help in decision making process.
Logstash does not have a predefined pricing model but you need to contact the company to get more information regarding their packages. Some of the widely used features of Logstash are data security redundancy, automatic interpretation, text search, visualization of data, powerful analytics and many others.
Logentries
Logentries is a relatively newer yet highly powerful and scalable log management tool and service that is designed for app debugging, infrastructure monitoring and log aggregation. The premium features of Logentries include unlimited users, live trail, anomaly detection, team alerting, inactivity detection, archiving, Webhook Integration, help and support, UAC and many others.
Logentries offers its services for free and the free subscription comes with limited features and some restrictions. Other four packages are starter, pro, team and enterprise which are available for $44, $129 and $329 respectively while the price of enterprise plan depends on the features you want. The free package has standard features like unlimited hosts and sources, community packs, log graphing, open API and basic search.
Sumo Logic
Sumo Logic is a cloud based log management tool and service which has numerous features combined in a single platform. It is a combination of basic features with low-level functionality and those features work together to provide high-level solution. One of the best things about Sumo Logic is its customization.
Sumo Logic is available for free with standard features like up to 500MB of volume per day, up to 3 users, outlier detection, data collection, log analytics, live dashboards and many others. It also offers two other packages which are professional and enterprise; the professional package is available for $90 per month and you can use its 30-day trial for free. The price of enterprise plan depends on the features you want to use.
Loggly
Loggly is a log management tool and service which is specifically designed to ease the entire process. Loggly is known for its performance when it comes to interpretation of data gathered from apps, systems and platforms. Some of its widely used features are automatic filters, text based logs, customizable interface, triggers and interface, trending graphs and many other features.
Loggly offers four packages which are lite, standard, pro and enterprise; the lite package is available for free and has some limitations and restrictions while other features are available for $49, $99 and $349 per month respectively. You can customize each plan and get features you want. The free plan includes all of the standard features like centralized log management, log summaries, search and support for a single user.
How Bugfender brings it to the next level?
Bugfender is a revolutionary tool and service which has taken log server aggregation to a whole new level as it provides a platform for mobile app aggregation, where developers and testers can monitor all the activities and events. Basically it works the exact same way and provides data, analytics and information about mobile app behavior across different type of devices.
It transforms raw data and information to useful and meaningful insights. Developers and testers don’t need physical access to customer devices to get the logs of their apps. Interestingly, because of the detailed logging mechanism, it is possible to reproduce the exact bug in controlled environment to fix a complex issue.
If you are a mobile developer and you are using a log server aggregation tool it’s time to start using Bugfender and get all the logs of your apps in a platforma tailor-made for your needs as a mobile developer.
