Logdy-core: Realtime Log Viewer with Web UI, Tail -f for Logs in Your Browser

Introduction

Logdy-core is an open-source, single-binary log viewer written in Go, offering a web-based user interface for real-time log analysis. It simplifies the process of monitoring application logs by providing a tail -f like experience directly in your browser, complete with filtering, custom parsers, and structured log support. Designed for developer productivity, Logdy-core runs entirely locally, ensuring security and privacy without the need for complex deployments or external services.

Key features include zero-dependency operation, an embedded Web UI, real-time log viewing and filtering, secure local operation, and multiple input modes (files, stdin, sockets, REST API). It also supports custom parsers with TypeScript, allowing for flexible log processing, and offers seamless integration as a Go library.

Installation

Logdy-core is designed for easy installation and use. Choose the method that best suits your environment:

Install using script

This command will download the latest release and add the executable to your system's PATH. It can also be used to update Logdy.

curl https://logdy.dev/install.sh | sh

Install with Homebrew (MacOS)

On MacOS, you can use Homebrew to install Logdy:

brew install logdy

Download precompiled binary

Navigate to the releases page and download the latest release for your architecture. For example, for Linux AMD64:

wget https://github.com/logdyhq/logdy-core/releases/download/v0.16.0/logdy_linux_amd64;
mv logdy_linux_amd64 logdy;
chmod +x logdy;

Remember to add the binary to your PATH for easier access.

Examples

Logdy-core offers flexible ways to ingest and view your logs.

Standalone use

Use Logdy with any shell command, piping its output directly:

# Use with any shell command
$ tail -f file.log | logdy
WebUI started, visit http://localhost:8080

# Read log files
$ logdy follow app-out.log --full-read
WebUI started, visit http://localhost:8080

More use modes are available in the documentation.

Use as a Go library

Integrate Logdy directly into your Go application to send logs to its UI:

First, install the Go library:

go get -u github.com/logdyhq/logdy-core/logdy

Then, use it in your Go code:

package main

import "github.com/logdyhq/logdy-core/logdy"

func main(){
  logdyLogger := logdy.InitializeLogdy(logdy.Config{
    ServerIp:       "127.0.0.1",
    ServerPort:     "8080",
  }, nil)

  // app code...

  logdyLogger.LogString("This is a message")
  logdyLogger.Log(logdy.Fields{"msg": "supports structured logs too", "url": "some url here"})
}

Check the documentation or example app for more details.

Why Use Logdy-core?

Logdy-core stands out as an excellent tool for log management due to several compelling reasons:

Simplicity and Portability: As a single-binary, zero-dependency application, it's incredibly easy to deploy and run. Just download and execute, no complex setup required.
Real-time Insights: Get immediate feedback on your application's behavior with real-time log streaming and filtering directly in your browser.
Enhanced Developer Experience: The intuitive web UI provides powerful features like custom parsers (with TypeScript support), column customization, and filtering, making log analysis more efficient and less tedious.
Security and Privacy: Running entirely locally, Logdy-core ensures your log data never leaves your machine, making it ideal for sensitive environments.
Versatile Input Modes: Whether your logs are in files, streamed via stdin, sent over sockets, or through a REST API, Logdy-core can handle them.
Go Integration: For Go developers, the ability to embed Logdy as a library means you can integrate a powerful log viewer directly into your applications, simplifying debugging and monitoring.