Nginx Log
This section covers configuration options for Nginx log processing and analysis features in Nginx UI.
Indexing
IndexingEnabled
- Type:
boolean - Default:
false - Environment Variable:
NGINX_UI_NGINX_LOG_INDEXING_ENABLED - Version:
>= v2.2.0
This option enables indexing for Nginx logs, which provides high-performance log search and analysis capabilities.
Behavior When Disabled (Basic Mode)
When IndexingEnabled is set to false, Nginx UI still discovers log entries from your Nginx configuration and shows them in the Logs list. In this basic mode:
- You can view the list of detected log files (grouped by simple rotation patterns), but advanced features like indexing metrics, document counts, and search shards are not available.
- Real-time viewing (tail) continues to work based on resolved access/error log paths.
IndexPath
Type:
stringVersion:
>= v2.2.0By default, Bleve index files are stored in the
log-indexdirectory located under your Nginx UI config directory (for example,/usr/local/nginx-ui/log-index).If the config directory cannot be determined, the fallback path is
./log-indexrelative to the application.
System Requirements
Minimum Requirements
- CPU: 1 core minimum
- Memory: 2GB RAM minimum
- Storage: At least 20GB available disk space
Recommended Configuration
- CPU: 2+ cores recommended
- Memory: 4GB+ RAM recommended
- Storage: SSD storage for better I/O performance
Performance Metrics
Based on production validation and comprehensive testing (M2 Pro 12 cores, September 2025):
| Metric | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Production Pipeline | ~10,000 records/sec | Complete indexing with search capabilities |
| Parser Performance | ~932K records/sec | Stream processing only |
| CPU Utilization | 90%+ | Optimized multi-core processing |
| Memory Efficiency | Zero-allocation design | Advanced memory pooling system |
| Adaptive Scaling | 12→36 workers | Dynamic resource optimization |
| Batch Optimization | 1000→6000 | Real-time throughput tuning |
Features
When advanced indexing is enabled, you get access to the following features:
Core Capabilities
- Zero-allocation pipeline - Optimized memory usage for high-performance processing
- Dynamic shard management - Intelligent distribution of log data across shards
- Incremental index scanning - Only indexes new log entries for efficiency
- Automated log rotation detection - Seamlessly handles rotated log files
Search & Analysis
- Advanced search & filtering - Complex queries with multiple criteria
- Full-text search with regex support - Powerful pattern matching capabilities
- Cross-file timeline correlation - Analyze events across multiple log files
- Error pattern recognition - Automatic detection of error patterns
Data Processing
- Compressed log file support - Works with gzipped and other compressed formats
- Offline GeoIP analysis - Location-based analytics without external services
- Real-time analytics dashboard - Live monitoring and statistics
- Multi-dimensional data visualization - Advanced charts and graphs
Usage Considerations
Performance Impact Notice
Advanced indexing delivers enterprise-grade performance with ~10,000 records/second throughput for complete log processing. The system automatically optimizes CPU utilization (90%+) and adapts worker scaling (12→36) for optimal performance based on your hardware.
Open Source Limitation
- Advanced log indexing features are free and open source for all users
- We do not accept feature requests for this functionality
- For commercial or professional use, contact [email protected]
Initial Indexing
When you enable advanced indexing, the system will immediately start indexing existing log files. This initial indexing process may temporarily impact system performance.