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Accessing Live Logs

This guide explains how to use Live Logs to view real-time container logs from all your DevSpaces applications and services.

Overview​

Live Logs provides a centralized web interface to monitor all Docker container logs in real-time. This is extremely useful for debugging, monitoring application behavior, and quickly identifying issues across multiple containers.

Powered by Dozzle, it offers real-time log streaming, search, and multi-container viewing.

Installing Live Logs Service​

Install the livelogs service:

dvs service install livelogs

Once installed, the web interface is accessible at:

https://livelogs.svc.dvs.sh

Features​

Real-time Log Streaming​

  • Logs are streamed in real-time via Server-Sent Events (SSE)
  • No page refresh needed - new logs appear automatically
  • Minimal resource usage (~4 MB memory)

Multi-Container View​

  • View logs from all containers in a single interface
  • Containers grouped by type: Apps, Database, Tools, Proxy
  • Split-screen mode to compare logs from multiple containers
  • Quick container switching via sidebar

Search and Filter​

  • Fuzzy search across container names
  • Regex search within logs
  • Filter by log level or content

Container Stats​

  • Live CPU and memory usage per container
  • Quick health status overview

Use Cases​

Debugging Application Errors​

When your application throws an error:

  1. Open Live Logs
  2. Select your application container
  3. Search for error messages or stack traces
  4. View logs before and after the error to understand the context

Monitoring Multiple Services​

When running a complex stack (app + database + cache):

  1. Use split-screen mode to view multiple containers
  2. Correlate events across services
  3. Identify cascading failures

Quick Container Inspection​

Instead of running docker logs or dvs logs repeatedly:

  1. Keep Live Logs open in a browser tab
  2. Switch between containers instantly
  3. Use search to find specific events

Limitations​

  • No log persistence: Logs are not stored, only real-time viewing
  • stdout/stderr only: Cannot access file-based logs inside containers
  • No offline search: Cannot search historical logs

For persistent log analysis, export logs with docker logs > file.log.

Troubleshooting​

Interface Not Loading​

If the Live Logs interface doesn't load:

  1. Verify the service is running: dvs status
  2. Start the service if needed: dvs service start livelogs
  3. Check for browser SSL certificate warnings

Containers Not Appearing​

If some containers don't appear:

  1. Verify containers are running: docker ps
  2. Check that containers are on the DevSpaces network

Slow Log Streaming​

If logs appear delayed:

  1. Check if you're behind a reverse proxy that buffers SSE
  2. Reduce the number of open container tabs

Next Steps​

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