Log File Monitor for VS Code

Monitor and analyze log files in real-time without leaving your editor!

Features

• Real-time monitoring of multiple log files
• Syntax highlighting for common log formats (Apache, Nginx, JSON, etc.)
• Advanced search and filter capabilities
• Performance-optimized for large log files
• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• \sdvanced log analysis to identify trends and issues
• Advanced filtering with regex and time-based filters
• Auto-scroll toggle
• Bookmarking search criteria
• Quick filter reset to view all log entries
• Collapsible sections to reduce visual noise
• Log statistics dashboard with visual charts
• Log level filtering directly from analysis view

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Simple Logs!"
4. Click Install

Alternatively, visit https://simple-logs.app/ and click Install.

Usage

1. Open the Simple Logs view from the Activity Bar
2. Click "Start Monitoring" and select a log file
3. Watch as logs update in real-time
4. Use the search bar to filter log entries
5. Use bookmarks to mark important entries
6. Click "Clear Filters" to reset filters when needed
7. Toggle between logs and dashboard view to analyze trends
8. Click on log levels in the analysis view to quickly filter by level
9. Use split view to compare multiple logs simultaneously

Configuration

Configure the extension through VS Code settings (File > Preferences > Settings):

"logMonitor.files": [
  "/var/log/nginx/access.log",
  "${workspaceFolder}/logs/application.log"
],
"logMonitor.maxDisplayLines": 1000,
"logMonitor.refreshMode": "realtime",
"logMonitor.pollInterval": 1000,
"logMonitor.highlightPatterns": [
  { "pattern": "ERROR", "color": "#FF0000" },
  { "pattern": "WARNING", "color": "#FFA500" }
],
"logMonitor.syntaxHighlighting": true,
"logMonitor.analyzeErrors": true,
"logMonitor.enableMultiView": true,
"logMonitor.bookmarksEnabled": true,
"logMonitor.autoScrollDefault": true,
"logMonitor.collapsibleSections": true,
"logMonitor.advancedFiltering": true,
"logMonitor.dashboardEnabled": true

Commands

• Simple Logs: Start Monitoring - Start monitoring configured log files
• Simple Logs: Stop Monitoring - Stop monitoring logs
• Simple Logs: Add File - Add a new file to monitor
• Simple Logs: Clear Filters - Reset all search filters
• Simple Logs: Toggle Auto-Scroll - Toggle auto-scrolling behavior
• Simple Logs: Add Bookmark - Bookmark the current selection
• Simple Logs: Split View - Open another log in split view
• Simple Logs: Show Dashboard - Display the statistics dashboard

Supported Log Formats

The extension automatically detects and provides syntax highlighting for:

• Apache/Nginx server logs
• JSON logs
• Common application log formats (.NET, Java, Node.js)
• Syslog format
• Custom formats (configurable)

Performance Considerations

For large log files (>50MB), the extension automatically optimizes by:

• Loading only the most recent portion of the file
• Using incremental updates
• Providing pagination controls to navigate through history

Troubleshooting

Log File Access Issues

Ensure VS Code has permission to read the log files you're monitoring. For system logs on Linux/macOS, you may need to run VS Code with elevated privileges or adjust file permissions.

High CPU/Memory Usage

If monitoring very active log files, try:

• Increasing the poll interval
• Decreasing the maximum display lines
• Disabling real-time monitoring for specific files

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• VS Code
• Git

Setup

git clone https://github.com/simplelogs/log-monitor.git
cd log-monitor
npm install

Running & Debugging

• Open the project in VS Code
• Press F5 to launch an Extension Development Host window
• In the development window, open a folder with log files to test

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.