Windows
Linux
Services & Processes
Services
Windows eventvwr / Event Viewer equivalent in Linux
Reads logs from the systemd journal — the Linux equivalent of Windows Event Viewer.
Windows
→
eventvwr / Event Viewer
Linux equivalents
journalctl
journalctl
journalctl
Overview
What this command does
Reads logs from the systemd journal — the Linux equivalent of Windows Event Viewer.
Migration tip:
journalctl -f follows the log in real-time like tail -f. Use -u servicename to filter logs for just one service.Practical tasks
Common use cases
View system logs
Reads logs from the systemd journal — the Linux equivalent of Windows Event Viewer.
journalctl -f
Follow live log output (like tail -f)
journalctl -u nginx
Logs for a specific service
journalctl -b
Logs since last boot
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
journalctl -f
journalctl -u ssh
journalctl -b -p err
journalctl --since "2024-01-15"
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows: eventvwr (GUI only)
journalctl -f # follow live system log
journalctl -u ssh # SSH service logs only
journalctl -b -p err # errors since last boot
journalctl --since "2024-01-15" # logs from a specific dateReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
journalctl -f | Follow live log output (like tail -f) |
journalctl -u nginx | Logs for a specific service |
journalctl -b | Logs since last boot |
journalctl --since '1 hour ago' | Logs from last hour |
journalctl -p err | Show only errors |
journalctl -n 50 | Show last 50 log entries |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
systemd commands are mostly distribution-neutral, but package names and service unit names can differ.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | apt + systemd | journalctl |
Same systemctl/journalctl syntax on systemd-based Debian and Ubuntu systems. |
| Fedora | dnf + systemd | journalctl |
Same command syntax; service names can differ by package. |
| Arch | pacman + systemd | journalctl |
Same command syntax; enable services explicitly after package installation. |
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