---
title: "Accessing web page views and error messages"
date: "2014-11-03"
category: "web-content"
slug: "accessing-page-views-and-error-messages"
---

## Overview

Access logs and error logs are the primary tools for diagnosing website issues. These log files record all visitor activity and any errors generated by your site.

## Log File Locations

### Access Logs

Site visitor statistics are available in raw form at:

`/var/log/httpd/access_log`

### Error Logs

Errors from misconfigured PHP scripts, permission issues, and general diagnostics are recorded at:

`/var/log/httpd/error_log`

Common HTTP status codes found in error logs include 500 (Internal Server Error), 403 (Forbidden), and 550.

### Application-Specific Logs

- **Java (Tomcat):** `/var/log/catalina.out`
- **CGI errors:** `/var/log/httpd/suexec.log` or `/var/log/httpd/suexec_log` depending on [[determining-platform-version]]
- **Ruby on Rails:** `/var/log/passenger.log` (available on [[determining-platform-version]] 6+)

## Example Error Page

![Example 403 Forbidden error page](kb-image:forbidden-403.png)
*Example 403 Forbidden error page*
