Monitor logfiles in multiple windows with MultiTail
Supercharged

MultiTail is not only more powerful than Tail, it's also easier to use.
If you have ever done any system administration, chances are you have used tail
[1] to watch the changes to the end of a file. MultiTail [2] is a supercharged version of Tail that uses ncurses to create multiple windows in a single console so you can view more the one file at a time. It includes options for starting a command with a new window or searching through its windows, as well as extensive options for customizing and manipulating the windows. The result is a command that is not only vastly more powerful than Tail, but easier to read and quicker to use as well.
MultiTail is packaged in many distributions and is also available as source code from the project website. It includes an extensive configuration file, /etc/multitail.conf
for the system or ~/.multitailrc
in the current account's home directory. How to edit either file would be an article in itself [3], but many of the choices are separate color schemes to indicate the various applications you are likely to use with MultiTail, ranging from the kernel or Apache to Squid and Sendmail.
The basic command is the name, followed by a space-separated list of files to open (Figure 1). Strictly speaking, the list of files should be prefaced by -i
, but the option is only necessary if a command begins with a hyphen (-). Notice that each MultiTail window has a number that is used to manipulate it, as well as the file name on the title bar at its bottom.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.