Web log analysis software (also called a web log analyzer) is a simple kind of Web analytics

Web analytics

Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage....

 software that parses a log file

Server log

A server log is a log file automatically created and maintained by a server of activity performed by it.A typical example is a web server log which maintains a history of page requests. The W3C maintains a standard format for web server log files, but other proprietary formats exist...

 from a web server

Web server

Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....

, and based on the values contained in the log file, derives indicators about who, when, and how a web server is visited. Usually reports are generated from the log files immediately, but the log files can alternatively be parsed to a database and reports generated on demand.

Features supported by log analysis packages may include "hit filters", which use pattern matching to examine selected log data.

Common Indicators

• Number of visits and number of unique visitors
• Visits duration and last visits
• Authenticated users, and last authenticated visits
• Days of week and rush hours
• Domains/countries of host's visitors
• Hosts list
• Number total pageviews
• Most viewed, entry and exit pages
• Files type
• OS
  Operating system
  An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
  
   used
• Browsers
  Web browser
  A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
  
   used
• Robots
  Internet bot
  Internet bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone...
  
  
• HTTP referrer
• Search engine
  Search engine
  A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
  
  s, key phrases and keywords used to find the analyzed web site
• HTTP errors
• Some of the log analyzers also report on who's on the site, conversion tracking, visit time and page navigation.

External links

• Log Analysis category at Open Directory Project
  Open Directory Project
  The Open Directory Project , also known as Dmoz , is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links. It is owned by Netscape but it is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors.ODP uses a hierarchical ontology scheme for organizing site listings...
  
  
• Log Analysis Tools category at Yahoo Directory