how to clean systemd journal logs & free disk space on Linux

Systemd journal logs are useful for troubleshooting. But over time, they can quietly consume gigabytes of disk space especially on servers.

I show you how to:

• Check journal log disk usage 

• Delete old logs safely 

• Limit logs by size 

• Restrict the number of log files 

• Make log limits permanent 

• Prevent your server from running out of space

 This works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, and most modern Linux distributions using systemd.

 Check Current Journal Disk Usage

 journalctl --disk-usage 

 This shows how much space systemd journal logs are currently using.

  Delete Logs Older Than X Days To remove logs older than 14 days: 

sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=14d 

You can change 14d to: 7d (7 days) 30d (30 days) 2m (2 months) This removes archived logs older than the specified time.

 Limit Journal Logs by Total Size Limit total size to 500MB (example):

 sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=500M 

 This deletes older logs until total journal usage is below 500MB.

  Make Log Limits Permanent (Recommended for Servers) 

Temporary cleanup is not enough. Logs will grow again. Edit the journald configuration file: 

sudo nano /etc/systemd/journald.conf If it's not here, check /usr/lib/systemd directory. Before editing, create a backup: 

sudo cp /etc/systemd/journald.conf /etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak 

 Now find and modify (or uncomment) these parameters: 

 SystemMaxUse=500M SystemMaxFileSize=72M SystemMaxFiles=10 What these do: 

SystemMaxUse → Maximum total disk space journal logs can use 

SystemMaxFileSize → Maximum size per log file 

SystemMaxFiles → Maximum number of log files retained Adjust these values based on your server storage.

 Restart journald 

After saving the file: 

sudo systemctl restart systemd-journald 

Now your system automatically enforces log limits. No more manual cleanup. Enjoy more disk space on your Linux system.

Reacties

Een reactie posten

Populaire posts van deze blog

Adjust Color Temperature of Your Screen Using Terminal

Afbeelding
There is a utility called “ xsct ” or screen color temperature for Debian-based systems which is super lightweight to install and very easy to use. Open up a terminal and install it using below. sudo apt install sct Once installed, you can start using it anytime with just a command. Even you can use it for your shell script as well. Syntax sct [temperature]   What is Color Temperature As per Wikipedia – “ Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in lighting, photography, videography, publishing, manufacturing, astrophysics, horticulture, and other fields” . It has a value range from 1000k to 10000k (k = unit in Kelvin) which controls the display brightness. In layman’s term, the default color temperature value of your monitor is 6500k. So, anything upwards e.g. 7000k, etc are “blue-ish” or “cooler” and downwards are “warmer” or “yellow-ish”. Take a look at this chart (credit: Wikipedia).  
Meer lezen

How to Change Root Password in Debian

  The root password in Linux is the master password that grants unrestricted access to all system files, settings, and commands. To change the root password, take the following steps:   sudo passwd root   2. Enter your account password 3. Type in the new root password.     The output confirms the password has been changed successfully.
Meer lezen

Snapdrop = AirDrop for Windows, Mac, Linux & Android

Afbeelding
  AirDrop & why it would be amazing for cross-platform Apple’s AirDrop is known to be one of the best data transfer services. It allows its users to quickly transfer files between devices while also providing a high level of security. However, it’s not available on any other platform, except for iOS and macOS. This means that if you want to transfer files and use AirDrop on Windows, you need to use SnapDrop. SnapDrop is a super-easy way to send files or data between your devices, and it works with anything, from PDF files to photos and videos. All you need to do is open it in your browser and then look for a device to exchange files with. It’s a great app, developed using some of the best security protocols. On top of that, it’s open-source, so developers are continuously improving it. If you want to transfer files between your devices successfully, you need them both connected to the same local network – for your safety, only use secure and password-protected Wi...
Meer lezen