Product Description
BCLog is a Joomla extension (plugin and component) that logs administrator activities for later auditing purposes.
Logs are written to the server as JSON and TXT files.
Logs can be viewed in the backend using the BCLog Viewer (component). Logs can also be filtered and exported in CSV format.
Installation
Before installing any Joomla extension, it is recommended to create a backup of your website.
Installation is performed using the Joomla Extension Manager. Simply upload each extension one by one (ZIP archive) – first the plugin and then the component.
In the backend you can configure the log file name:
Components → BC Log → Options → Log file name
For security reasons, make sure the log file name contains a combination of letters and numbers.
If the provided name is too short, the system will automatically append a random combination of letters and numbers.
Logs will be stored in the BCLOG directory inside the default Joomla log directory configured in:
System → Global Configuration → Logging → Path to Log Folder
For security reasons, if possible, it is recommended that the default log directory is located outside the public web directory (not accessible via the web server).
Enable the plugin:
System → Plugins → plg_system_bclog → Status: Enabled → Save
For the plugin to work, Joomla debug mode must be disabled
Usage
The system automatically logs activities performed by administrators and other users who have access to the Joomla backend.
Frontend user activities are not logged.
To view logs use:
Components → BC Log
Logs are displayed in two tabs.
Right Tab (default)
Displays data from the JSON file in a table view. The latest log entry appears first.
Left Tab
Displays the TXT log file. The latest log entry appears at the bottom.
Log Integrity
Logs are protected using linked hash values, making it impossible to modify a log file without detection.
If tampering is detected, a warning message will appear.
Log Rotation
If a log file becomes large (more than 5MB), logging will continue in a new file while the old file will be renamed and preserved on the server.
If the number of log files exceeds 200 files (100 TXT and 100 JSON files), the oldest files will be deleted one by one starting from the oldest so that the total number never exceeds 200 files.
Filter Options
In the Filter section you can choose which log file to display. By default, the currently active log file is shown.
Search
Filter by user ID or username.
From
Display logs starting from a specific date.
To
Display logs up to a specific date.
Component
Show logs generated by a specific Joomla component.
Table
Show database write logs only for specific database tables.
Type
Display only specific types of logs.
Only POST-DATA
Display only logs that contain POST variables or database insert/update data.
Short View
Display only the most important columns.
Export CSV
The Export CSV option exports the data currently displayed in the JSON tab.
Data will be exported in CSV format using a comma (,) as the delimiter.
Viewing Full Data
If you want to see the full value of a specific field, click on it.
The data will be displayed in a modal pop-up window.
Sensitive data is not logged and will not be displayed.
Large Data Handling
To protect the integrity of log files, extremely large data entries will be truncated.