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WebStat

This program helps you analyze your server's log files. It is designed to be stored in the same folder as your log file and run on a periodic basis. If you have not changed any of its configurations, then all you have to do is launch it and WebStat will do the rest.

The output of Webstat, by default, is a file named WebStat.html. This default, as well as others, can be changed by editing the WebStat.config file. The final report (WebStat.html) lists statistics by:

  1. Day of the year
  2. Hour of the day
  3. Day of the week
  4. Client domain
  5. Client reversed subdomain
  6. Archive section
Each of these mini-reports are sorted according to the number of files transmitted as well as the number of bytes sent. Percentages of the whole are then calculated as well. Consequently, you can use WebStat to determine what dates, hours, weeks are more popular for you server. You can also determine who is using your service and what pages they are reading.

If you don't want particular parts of the report, then you must edit WebStat's WebStat.format file. This is easy. All you have to do is delete or add the parts you want. The process is rather un-Macintosh-like, but its not difficult. One very nice thing about WebStat is that it will try to resolve IP numbers into domain names. This process will give you more meaningful reports.

There is at least one way this program could be improved. Its output could be put into some sort of tab-delimited format making it easy to import into a spreadsheet program. If this were done, then further analysis may be more easily accomplished like determining which of your files are most popular and/or which of your files are not being read at all.

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Eric last edited this page on September 26, 1995. Please feel free to send comments.