logrotate on Linux: Configure Log Rotation (/etc/logrotate.d)

logrotate on Linux prevents /var/log from filling the disk — nginx, Apache, and app logs grow forever unless something truncates or archives them. The logrotate daemon runs daily from cron/systemd timer and reads snippets under /etc/logrotate.d/.

Related: custom log rotation script,
journalctl,
tail -f logs.

How logrotate fits

Package logrotate ships defaults in /etc/logrotate.conf and includes /etc/logrotate.d/*.

Example: nginx logs

Rotate when large or daily; keep two weeks; compress old files.

/var/log/nginx/*.log {
    daily
    missingok
    rotate 14
    compress
    delaycompress
    notifempty
    sharedscripts
    postrotate
        systemctl reload nginx 2>/dev/null || true
    endscript
}

copytruncate vs create

copytruncate copies then truncates in place — apps that keep file handles open may need it; otherwise default rename+create is cleaner.

Force and debug

Use logrotate -f to force one cycle during testing; watch disk before/after.

sudo logrotate -d /etc/logrotate.conf 2>&1 | tail -30

Quick Reference

• App configs: /etc/logrotate.d/APP
• Test: logrotate -d
• Keep rotate N and compress for space

Related tutorials

• Custom rotation script
• Find large logs
• Nginx log analysis

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