How can I write an entry into /var/log/syslog from the command line?
asked Oct 30, 2014 at 11:15
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3 Answers
Use the logger command.
logger Some message to write
There are several options available, including:
-i Log the process ID in each line
-f Log the contents of a specified file
-n Write to the specified remote syslog server
-p Specify a priority
-t Tag the line with a specified tag
See man 1 logger for more information on the tool.
answered Oct 30, 2014 at 11:15
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1For a more detailed
loggerexample, and for remote logging vianetcator shell redirection, see: safaribooksonline.com/library/view/bash-cookbook/0596526784/…– user13975Jan 16, 2018 at 15:19
Alternatively, you can write to syslog from python:
python -c 'import syslog; syslog.syslog("Hello World")'
answered Oct 30, 2014 at 11:34
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3Honest question: what would be the benefits of using Python for this over the
loggercommand? Oct 30, 2014 at 11:44 -
2@DrewNoakes If you're running a - python - script from the command line, using the standard library is always better than relying on subprocess and call
logger. You already have my vote, I'm just mentioning an alternative. Oct 30, 2014 at 11:51 -
Thanks for the clarification. I guess this is true for all programming languages. Have a vote on me. Oct 30, 2014 at 11:54
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just a thought - loading a heavy environment to log something to a file is not as ideal as using a simple tool like logger, especially if you want want to script it.– pdwalkerApr 13, 2021 at 15:44
As a dev, I rarely have time to closely study man pages, so TLDR:
logger -p local0.notice -t ${0##*/}[$$] Hello world
The gibberish in the middle will translate to the calling program. So if you check the bottom of syslog you'll see something like:
May 07 08:27:14 ip-10-1-11-166 -bash[42108]: Hello world
