Where are ForgeKit logs stored?

ForgeKit's log layout follows the same shape a real Apache/Nginx server has. It just keeps every piece of it inside C:\ForgeKit instead of scattered across /etc, /var/log, and your project folder.

There are three logs to know about, in the order you'd normally check them:

1. Per-site (vhost) logs: check these first

On a real server, each Apache <VirtualHost> or Nginx server{} block usually sets its own ErrorLog/CustomLog (or access_log/error_log) so that one site's traffic doesn't get lost in another site's noise. ForgeKit generates the exact same thing. Here's what an actual generated vhost looks like:

<VirtualHost *:8081>
    ServerName forgekit.test
    DocumentRoot "C:/ForgeKit/sites/forgekit-site/public"
    <Directory "C:/ForgeKit/sites/forgekit-site/public">
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog "C:/ForgeKit/logs/sites/forgekit.test/error.log"
    CustomLog "C:/ForgeKit/logs/sites/forgekit.test/access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

Because these directives live inside the site's own block, only requests and errors for that domain end up here. It's the first place to check when one site is broken but everything else on the same instance works fine.

Open these from the Logs button on the site itself, or browse to:

/ForgeKit/logs/sites/{domain}/access.log
/ForgeKit/logs/sites/{domain}/error.log

2. Web-server instance logs

This is the part that mirrors a real server's own /etc/apache2 or /etc/nginx logs: the web server's main context, outside of any specific vhost. Every instance (an Apache or Nginx you've created in ForgeKit) has one:

/ForgeKit/instances/web/{instance_folder}/logs/access.log
/ForgeKit/instances/web/{instance_folder}/logs/error.log

Since these are set at the top level of httpd.conf/nginx.conf rather than inside a <VirtualHost>, they catch whatever a per-site block doesn't: startup errors, port conflicts, module load failures, and any request that didn't match a known vhost. Open them from the Logs button at the top of a web server's row.

3. PHP's error log: a separate log, on purpose

Just like a real server usually keeps PHP's own error log separate from Apache/Nginx's (e.g. a dedicated php-fpm log next to, but distinct from, the web server's), ForgeKit gives PHP its own file:

/ForgeKit/instances/web/{instance_folder}/logs/php_error.log

This lives in the same instance folder as #2, but PHP writes it, not the web server, and it's shared by every site running on that instance, not per-site (there's no php_error.log per domain). Open it from the second Logs button: the one under the PHP section of a web server's row, below the web server's own Config/Logs buttons.

Each web server row has two Logs buttons: the top one (next to Config) opens the web server's own access.log/error.log from #2, and the bottom one (under the PHP row) opens PHP's php_error.log from this section. There's one per instance, shared by every site on it.

If a site throws a PHP error/warning, check this file if it isn't showing up in the per-site error.log.

4. PHP fallback log (rarely relevant)

Each installed PHP binary/version also has a neutral fallback log:

/ForgeKit/logs/php-fallback/php-{version}.log

This exists so that PHP always has somewhere safe to log to even when it's being run outside of any web server instance (for example, directly from the terminal, or by phpMyAdmin). Normal site traffic is always handled by #1-#3 above, so this file usually stays empty during regular usage. That's expected, not a bug.

Which log should I check first?

If one site is broken but another site on the same instance works fine:

1. Check that site's per-site log (#1).
2. Check the PHP error log for that site's instance (#3).
3. Check the web-server instance log (#2).
4. Check the generated vhost config for the instance the site uses.
5. Check the PHP fallback log last (#4). It's usually empty by design.

If the web server won't start at all:

1. Check the web-server instance log (#2).
2. Check for port conflicts.
3. Check the generated config files.
4. Restart the instance.

See also → Logs and Config Files · Instances · Vhosts and Routing · How ForgeKit Works