The best log viewers, according to hackers
4 log viewers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended log viewer with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Powerful for understanding logs
Terminal log viewer that helps show what happened, when and where, and is lightweight and effective. Critics mention high memory use and a non-obvious exit.
All 4 log viewers, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | lnav | 14 | 3 | 82% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 2 | GoAccess | 8 | 2 | 80% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 2 | Log File Viewer for the Terminal | 8 | 2 | 80% | 1 | — | — |
| 4 | journalctl | 7 | 10 | 41% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same log viewer in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to log viewers that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.