Log Rotation
Log rotation is a system administration process that manages log files by automatically archiving, compressing, and deleting old logs to prevent them from consuming excessive disk space. It involves creating new log files at regular intervals (e.g., daily or weekly) and applying retention policies to maintain a manageable history. This is typically implemented using tools like logrotate on Unix-like systems or built-in features in applications and services.
Developers should learn and use log rotation to ensure system stability and performance, as unchecked log growth can fill up disk space, causing application failures or system crashes. It is essential in production environments for compliance, debugging, and monitoring, allowing retention of relevant logs while automating cleanup. Use cases include web servers (e.g., Apache, Nginx), databases, and custom applications to manage access logs, error logs, and audit trails efficiently.