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MIT License
Copyright (c) 2025 Allan Christensen
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

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# Clear Logfiles for Ubuntu 24.04 Server
[![OS](https://img.shields.io/badge/ubuntu-24.04-E95420)](#)
[![Shell](https://img.shields.io/badge/shell-bash-121011)](#)
[![Feature](https://img.shields.io/badge/feature-log_cleanup-0078D7)](#)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-green)](./LICENSE)
Install log cleanup and logfile reporting on Ubuntu 24.04 server.
Not a demo, not a quick hack.
This script is built for production systems and safe unattended execution.
---
## Why this installer exists
Ubuntu systems accumulate rotated logfiles over time.
While `logrotate` handles rotation, old rotated logs are not automatically removed, and custom or installer-generated logs can grow unnoticed.
Disk space is rarely the real problem.
Operator clarity is.
An unmanaged `/var/log` directory becomes noisy over time and increases the risk of misreading timestamps or confusing old incidents with new ones during troubleshooting — especially under pressure.
In environments without centralized log storage, keeping `/var/log` clean ensures it remains a usable, live operational workspace.
---
## What this script does
✔ Scans `/var/log` recursively
✔ Deletes classic rotated logfiles created by logrotate
✔ Detects and reports large unrotated logfiles
✔ Detects non-logrotate numeric logfiles (installer and debug logs)
✔ Writes a full execution report to a logfile
✔ Designed for unattended cron execution
---
## What this script does NOT do
It won’t stop you from running the script without reading the documentation like there’s no tomorrow.
Skip the README, and whatever happens next is your headache, not a bug report.
---
## 1. Download
```
git clone https://git.x-files.dk/system/clear-log-ubuntu.git
```
---
```
cd clear-log-ubuntu
```
---
## 2. Install
```
sudo cp clear-log-files /usr/local/sbin/
```
---
## Recommended first run
The script is published in dry-run mode by default so nothing gets deleted.
Run the script manually the first time.
```
sudo /usr/local/sbin/clear-log-files
```
Review the generated report in:
```
/var/log/clear-log-files.log
```
Once you are satisfied with the behavior, edit the script and set:
```
dryrun=false
```
Only then should the script be deployed via cron.
---
## Cron usage
Once verified, add a weekly cron job. This can quickly be done from the command line like this:
```
sudo tee /etc/cron.d/clear-log-files >/dev/null <<EOF
0 1 * * 5 root /usr/local/sbin/clear-log-files >/dev/null 2>&1
EOF
```
## Configuration
The two most important variables are defined at the top of the script.
```
dryrun=true
extended_cleanup=false
```
### dryrun
- `true`
Default. No files are removed. All actions are simulated and reported.
- `false`
Enables real cleanup. Intended for cron usage after verification.
### extended_cleanup
- `false`
Non-logrotate numeric logs are reported only (default and recommended).
- `true`
Non-logrotate numeric logs are deleted during real runs.
Deletion of extended logs requires both:
- `dryrun=false`
- `extended_cleanup=true`
This is intentional.
---
## Script output
Each run writes a full report to:
```
/var/log/clear-log-files.log
```
The report includes:
- which files were removed
- which files were reported only
- warnings about large active logfiles
- execution timestamp and configuration state
This makes audits and troubleshooting straightforward.
---
## Logfile cleanup policy
The script separates logfiles into three distinct classes.
### Classic rotated logs (auto-removed)
Examples:
```
auth.log.1
auth.log.2.gz
kern.log.4.gz
dpkg.log.1
```
---
### Extended rotated logs (reported only by default).
Examples:
```
subiquity-client-debug.log.1946
installer-info.log.1990
customapp.log.999
```
These files are not created by `logrotate`.
By default, they are detected and reported but not deleted. Setting extended_cleanup to true changes this.
---
### Large unrotated logs (warnings only)
Any active `.log` file exceeding the configured size threshold is reported as a warning no action is taken.
---
### What this script will "NEVER" delete are:
Kernel logs and audit logs. These are allways kept for forensic needs. This is intentionally by design.
---
## Configuration
The two most important variables are defined at the top of the script.
```
dryrun=true
extended_cleanup=false
```
### dryrun
- `true`
Default. No files are removed. All actions are simulated and reported.
- `false`
Enables real cleanup. Intended for cron usage after verification.
### extended_cleanup
- `false`
Non-logrotate numeric logs are reported only (default and recommended).
- `true`
Non-logrotate numeric logs are deleted during real runs.
Deletion of extended logs requires both:
- `dryrun=false`
- `extended_cleanup=true`
This is intentional.
---
## Script output
Each run writes a full report to:
```
/var/log/clear-log-files.log
```
The report includes:
- which files were removed
- which files were reported only
- warnings about large active logfiles
- execution timestamp and configuration state
This makes audits and troubleshooting straightforward.
---
### More Information
More guides and documentation can be found on [wiki.x-files.dk](https://wiki.x-files.dk)
---
### License
Licensed under the [MIT License](./LICENSE).

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#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Author : Allan Christensen
# First Created : 12-03-2001 (DD-MM-YYYY)
# Description : Clears rotated logfiles and reports large unrotated logs in /var/log
# License : MIT License
#
# Are we root
#
if [[ $(id -u) -ne 0 ]]; then echo "" && echo "Must be root or use sudo" && echo "" ; exit ; fi
#
# Safety controls
#
#
# Dry run mode
#
# true = simulate deletions, nothing is removed
# false = real run (cron)
#
dryrun=true
#
# Extended rotated log cleanup
#
# Controls deletion of non-logrotate files like:
# app.log.1234
# installer-debug.log.9876
#
# false = report only (safe default)
# true = delete during real runs (dryrun must also be false)
#
extended_cleanup=false
#
# Define variables
#
logdir="/var/log"
#
# Warning threshold for unrotated logs (megabytes)
#
warning=200
resultlog="/var/log/clear-log-files.log"
#
# Initialize log file
#
: > "$resultlog"
chmod 644 "$resultlog"
{
echo "Clear logfiles run : $(date)"
echo "Log Directory : $logdir"
echo "Warning threshold : ${warning} MB"
echo "Dry run : $dryrun"
echo "Extended cleanup : $extended_cleanup"
echo ""
} >> "$resultlog"
#
# Safety check
#
if [[ ! "$logdir" =~ ^/var/log(/|$) ]]; then
echo "ERROR: Refusing to operate outside /var/log: $logdir" >> "$resultlog"
exit 1
fi
#
# Pass 1 — classic rotated logs (logrotate style)
#
echo "Classic rotated log files:" >> "$resultlog"
found=false
while IFS= read -r file; do
found=true
if [[ "$dryrun" == true ]]; then
echo " $file (dry-run)" >> "$resultlog"
else
echo " $file" >> "$resultlog"
rm -f "$file"
fi
done < <(
find "$logdir" -type f \
\( \
-name "*.log.[1-9]" -o -name "*.log.[1-9][0-9]" \
-o -name "*.log.[1-9].gz" -o -name "*.log.[1-9][0-9].gz" \
-o -name "*.log.[1-9].xz" -o -name "*.log.[1-9][0-9].xz" \
-o -name "*.log.[1-9].bz2" -o -name "*.log.[1-9][0-9].bz2" \
-o -name "*.log.[1-9].zst" -o -name "*.log.[1-9][0-9].zst" \
\
-o -name "syslog.[1-9]" -o -name "syslog.[1-9][0-9]" \
-o -name "syslog.[1-9].gz" -o -name "syslog.[1-9][0-9].gz" \
-o -name "syslog.[1-9].xz" -o -name "syslog.[1-9][0-9].xz" \
-o -name "syslog.[1-9].bz2" -o -name "syslog.[1-9][0-9].bz2" \
-o -name "syslog.[1-9].zst" -o -name "syslog.[1-9][0-9].zst" \
\) \
! -name "clear-log-files.log*" \
2>/dev/null
)
[[ "$found" == false ]] && echo " None" >> "$resultlog"
echo "" >> "$resultlog"
#
# Pass 2 — extended rotated logs (non-standard)
#
echo "Extended rotated log files:" >> "$resultlog"
found=false
while IFS= read -r file; do
found=true
if [[ "$dryrun" == true || "$extended_cleanup" == false ]]; then
echo " $file (reported only)" >> "$resultlog"
else
echo " $file" >> "$resultlog"
rm -f "$file"
fi
done < <(
find "$logdir" -type f \
-name "*.log.*" \
! -name "*.log.[1-9]*" \
! -name "clear-log-files.log*" \
2>/dev/null
)
[[ "$found" == false ]] && echo " None" >> "$resultlog"
echo "" >> "$resultlog"
#
# Detect large unrotated logs
#
echo "Large unrotated log files detected:" >> "$resultlog"
found=false
while IFS= read -r file; do
size_mb=$(( $(stat -c %s "$file") / 1024 / 1024 ))
if (( size_mb >= warning )); then
echo " WARNING: $file (${size_mb} MB)" >> "$resultlog"
found=true
fi
done < <(
find "$logdir" -type f \
-name "*.log" \
! -name "clear-log-files.log" \
2>/dev/null
)
[[ "$found" == false ]] && echo " None" >> "$resultlog"
echo "" >> "$resultlog"
#
# End of script
#

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------------------------------------
Last tested: 28-01-2026 (DD-MM-YYYY)
Environment: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
------------------------------------