Application Log

What Does Application Log Mean?

An application log is a file of events that are logged by a software application. It contains errors, informational events and warnings. The format and content of an application log are determined by the developer of the software program, rather than the OS.

Techopedia Explains Application Log

An application normally contains code to write various types of events to an application log file. The log file can reveal message flow issues and application problems. It can also contain information about user and system actions that have occurred. Logged events typically include the following:

Warnings about low disk space
An operation that has been carried out
Any significant problems – known as an error events – that prevent the application from starting
A success audit to indicate a security event such as a successful logon
A failure audit to indicate an event such as a logon failure

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Margaret Rouse

Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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